Making Food Fair
Article published: Tuesday, February 8th 2011
As part of the Soil Association’s two day Food and the Big Society Conference, campaigners from a range of sectors are holding a free public event tomorrow, February 9, called Making Food Fair. The emphasis will be on balancing food access with sustainability.
The talk will highlight the need for affordable locally-produced food in the context of the health, environmental and welfare costs of the conventional food system while examining the rights of local and global food producers to earn a living wage.
Whether through their own production or through the market, an adequate amount of food must be within the reach of households, which can only be ensured when people’s incomes are sufficiently relative to the cost of food. The issue of a households’ ability to ensure continuous access to food over time is often neglected with food security concerns of adequacy, stability and access often only viewed from a short-term perspective.
Chris Walsh from The Kindling Trust, who along with the Unicorn Grocery have helped organise the event, says:
“There is a conflict of interest surrounding food access and sustainability, as on the one hand there is a desire to make healthy food cheaper whilst on the other it is seen that producers aren’t getting paid enough, especially when large multinational organisations are profiting”
The dominant current model of food production is often criticised as unsustainable by heterodox economists and environmentalists. Monoculture production controlled by large multinational agribusinesses which is serviced by machinery and cheap fossil fuels is being seriously called into question. Not only is this method of growing unnatural, the adverse affects we are seeing from growing a single crop on vast tracts of land are soil erosion, increased pests and diseases, and the consequent soaking of our land-base in chemicals.
Debbie Clarke from Unicorn Grocery says that:
“If you are interested in how we square the circle of looking after impoverished consumers, farmers and the environment you have to come to this: Get the facts, take part in the debate and get inspired with some great practical examples.”
The speakers for the evening will include Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy City University London, who will be discussing ‘The problems with our present food system’. Deborah Doane, Director of World Development Movement, will look at ‘The real cost of food from a global perceptive’ and Julie Brown, founder & director of Growing Communities will ask ‘Can sustainable food be accessible?’
Manchester World Development Movement (WDM) will also be present in support of speaker Deborah Doane from the WDM who campaign on eradicating extreme hunger and poverty. WDM claim that since the food price spike in 2008 – in which maize doubled in price – food insecurity has peaked with over 1 billion people at risk of inadequate nutrition. The spike was driven by speculation on food by banks and hedge funds in rich countries, a practice which the WDM is now campaigning to regulate.
The Soil Association is a charity campaigning for planet-friendly food and farming, who believe in the importance of the connection between soil, food, the health of people and the health of the planet. Manchester based The Kindling Trust practice and promote sustainable agriculture by supporting rurally based social enterprises linked to local urban centres. They aim to meet the local population’s needs and enhance their quality of life, without relying on the exploitation of people or the planet. The Unicorn Grocery cooperative has offered a wide range of fresh and wholesome food to its South Manchester customer base with the focus always being on local, organic, wholesome and fair trade goods.
Free Event: Making Food Fair, Manchester Town Hall, Wednesday 9th February, 5.30 – 7.30pm.
For more information, visit www.kindling.org.uk, www.soilassociation.org, unicorn-grocery.co.uk, or www.wdm.org.uk.
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