Farmers - a put upon minority or greedy gits - you decide.

[Ian H]

Thinks links back to your previous post about the dominance of big supermarkets. Whilst yes, they make big monies, the general profit on food is actually not that great, Tesco typically 8% or less. They make their money by volume. To get volume they need lots of stores and give (stupidly) low prices, to get low prices they buy big volumes and use their muscle to drive producers prices downwards or source from cheaper markets.
The salient point you made is that UK customers now expect a huge variety and quality at almost unsustainably low prices. Food is simply too cheap to be good for us. This needs to change.
Henry Dimbleby was again on the Toady prog regarding Obesity and some of his recommendations were (as with his food strategy) very sound indeed.
If we are to have a healthier and more equitable food supply in the UK, we need government incentive, intervention, and regulation, cheap food is a luxury nobody can afford....

The counter problem at the moment is that many people can't even afford cheap food.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Thinks links back to your previous post about the dominance of big supermarkets. Whilst yes, they make big monies, the general profit on food is actually not that great, Tesco typically 8% or less. They make their money by volume. To get volume they need lots of stores and give (stupidly) low prices, to get low prices they buy big volumes and use their muscle to drive producers prices downwards or source from cheaper markets.
The salient point you made is that UK customers now expect a huge variety and quality at almost unsustainably low prices. Food is simply too cheap to be good for us. This needs to change.
Henry Dimbleby was again on the Toady prog regarding Obesity and some of his recommendations were (as with his food strategy) very sound indeed.
If we are to have a healthier and more equitable food supply in the UK, we need government incentive, intervention, and regulation, cheap food is a luxury nobody can afford....

Agree - british grown veg is cheap enough I think. I'd like to see even more tax (if there is any) on products containing foreign sourced meat, fruit and veg. I'd also like to see tax breaks for arable farmers who want to start up farms here - even if it just means growing fodder for animal feeds. It keeps production local, reduced carbon footprint (on foreign import anyway) and would hopefully mean cheaper animal feed for meat farmers so we wouldn't have to import cheap meat from abroad.

I don't mind paying the same, or a bit more, for something that will keep farms as farms and not unprofitable businesses that become housing estates, which is the way it is going

 

[Fab Foodie]

The counter problem at the moment is that many people can't even afford cheap food.

As a supporter of our local food bank - I agree!
But then again many people buy cheap food that's unhealthy.

That's why as Andy above says, there needs to be intervention in the machinery of food production, supply and consumption, even to the point of taxing some foods (nutritionally poor, luxury etc.) to subsidies healthier foods, or to subsidies the poor/foodbanks to be able to purchase healthy foods.
Probably one of the simplest and cost effective health measure would be to go back to free school milk and ensure milk is always waaay cheaper than fizzy pop.
But it needs vision and a grand plan. One exists, nobody wants to implement it.

 

[Psamathe]

Agree - british grown veg is cheap enough I think. I'd like to see even more tax (if there is any) on products containing foreign sourced meat, fruit and veg.

Doesn't that in effect mean direct or indirect import tariffs. Only issue becomes where those tariffs are colelcted eg in UK ports or through UK retail.

Ian

 

[Psamathe]

... even if it just means growing fodder for animal feeds. It keeps production local, reduced carbon footprint (on foreign import anyway) and would hopefully mean cheaper animal feed for meat farmers so we wouldn't have to import cheap meat from abroad.

Problem becomes impact of Climate Change. Far less polluting for us to consume more fruit & veg than meat.

Another aspect to farming practice is biofuels. My personal view is that to address Climate Change we (in west) need to change our behaviour rather than just find bodge short term work arounds to keep doing the same and hide that we are still polluting. These bodges are just delaying the change of behaviour we need to make and personally I think the sooner we make the change the better and easier it is (eg give up smoking when in your 20's is far easier and better than giving up smoking in your 60s).

Ian

 

[AuroraSaab]

It's mad that a large pizza or a bag of donuts is cheaper than a bag of apples. I was against taxing crappy processed food for a long time because it will mostly affect the poor but we need to do something. Perhaps start subsidising local grown meat, fruit, and veg, rather than having people eat £1 ready meals and cheap processed food. (Yes, I know it's to do with convenience, bit of laziness, cooking skills etc not just cost).

 

[Psamathe]

Yes, I know it's to do with convenience, bit of laziness, cooking skills etc not just cost

Do schools teach cooking to all students these days? (I don't have kids so don't know what education practice is).

I can't cook but being vegetarian I eat vast quantities of veg and find it just as convenient as a microwave tray meal. Boiling some frozen peas even I can cope with. Fresh cabbage in a saucepan no grief. Probably all be even easier and quicker if I worked out times to do it in the microwave rather than in the hob.

Ian

 

[monkers]

Do schools teach cooking to all students these days? (I don't have kids so don't know what education practice is).

I can't cook but being vegetarian I eat vast quantities of veg and find it just as convenient as a microwave tray meal. Boiling some frozen peas even I can cope with. Fresh cabbage in a saucepan no grief. Probably all be even easier and quicker if I worked out times to do it in the microwave rather than in the hob.

Ian

It's taught under 'Design and Technology'. For example ...

Cooking and nutrition As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life. Pupils should be taught to: Key stage 3  understand and apply the principles of nutrition and health  cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that they are able to feed themselves and others a healthy and varied diet  become competent in a range of cooking techniques [for example, selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using their own recipes]  understand the source, seasonality and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients.

 

[AuroraSaab]

Do schools teach cooking to all students these days? (I don't have kids so don't know what education practice is).

Yes, for 3 years at least at high school level. I think it's just become habit and convenience, and sometimes cheaper, to buy processed food. Plus not everybody has access to things like air fryers and slow cookers which make cooking from scratch easier. Let's face it though, ultra processed food is often just really tasty and relatively cheap, especially the cakes. It's been engineered to be so. It's called something like 'ultra palatability' - the perfect mix of sugar, fat, salt, that makes you want more. Few people are cooking from scratch to make a chicken curry meal for two when supermarkets do excellent ones for £7.

 

[BoldonLad]

Yes, for 3 years at least at high school level. I think it's just become habit and convenience, and sometimes cheaper, to buy processed food. Plus not everybody has access to things like air fryers and slow cookers which make cooking from scratch easier. Let's face it though, ultra processed food is often just really tasty and relatively cheap, especially the cakes. It's been engineered to be so. It's called something like 'ultra palatability' - the perfect mix of sugar, fat, salt, that makes you want more. Few people are cooking from scratch to make a chicken curry meal for two when supermarkets do excellent ones for £7.

I think you would have to define "cooking from. scratch".

During a recent (routine annual) visit to Practice Nurse, she asked me "do you have a healthy diet", I replied "yes, no. ready meals, or take-aways".

While it is true that we do not eat ready meals or take-aways, nor do we exactly cook from scratch,

eg, in your example, Chicken Curry:

- chicken fresh
- vegetables fresh
- curry sauce, in a jar

is that "cooking from scratch"?

 

[Mr Celine]

...is that "cooking from scratch"?

No.

 

[AuroraSaab]

- chicken fresh
- vegetables fresh
- curry sauce, in a jar

is that "cooking from scratch"?

No, I wouldn't call that cooking a curry from scratch. You'd have to make the sauce yourself. Depending on the jar, it's probably still better for you than a £1.50 frozen curry full of preservatives and emulsifiers. We don't really eat curry much these days but it's years since we made one from scratch. If you haven't got all the spices already it's not cost effective.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I know it's not "proper cooking" but no-one is going to get us to spend time on a Saturday cooking curry or chilli from scratch when our local supermarket stocks Harry Bigham stuff and we've got the Gateway of India (no, not that one) just a four minute walk away.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I know it's not "proper cooking" but no-one is going to get us to spend time on a Saturday cooking curry or chilli from scratch when our local supermarket stocks Harry Bigham stuff and we've got the Gateway of India (no, not that one) just a four minute walk away.

I do. Midweek too. Neither need take a long time nor a mountain of ingredients....

 

[Ian H]

I quite often add spices to my cooking, but whether you could can the result 'curry' is another matter. 'Fusion' is a useful word, it covers the gaps.