Food prices - Scaremongering? (Warning - Potential Political Content!)

And just to add to the mix about food prices, read this on Farming UK: Turbulent times for crop prices in 2013

 

Super links, Mum! I'm off to read them now!

 

Best get yourself a cuppa before you start clicking links, Kevin; you may be some time (particularly the Farming one)

 

I remember when I was about 16 years old. A farmer neighbor, was paid by the government to "not" grow so much "something", thus keep the crop price at a certain point. The ol supply and demand theory. I am sure that is done today.

The GM thing was a bunch of B.S. Sorry Mitt did not make it, we (USA) lost out on getting the finest Economic brain who could have turned things around. Obama has no clue about economics.
We all just got a notice that our taxes in our paychecks are going up 2%. HEY, I am not upper class. Did Obama not promise he would not taxs us little people. We, the people who have jobs (not on welfare--playing the system) are the ones that are supporting them.
There was a analogy stated by a professor which I thought was great. There are those folks that ride the wagon and those folks that pull the wagon. which are you? After a while the folks that pull the wagon will get tired of pulling and want to ride ---then what???


Well off to WORK. Rather be in my gardens, can I get on welfare for that.

 

SteveR and Shiney, our local greengrocer sometimes sells stuff listed as 'class 2'. They sell it dirt cheap, because its slightly the wrong shape, or bruised, but usually nothing at all wrong with any of it. I usually buy much of it if I see it. I still have most of a bag of lemons that I bought for 30p a couple of months ago

Anyway, there's no food crisis in the UK, price related or otherwise. The only crisis I can see arising in the foreseeable future is a crisis of culture. There are those that through no fault of their own, simply can't grow or forage their own, but for the majority it is just pure laziness and/or an unwillingness to try.

Last year was my first proper attempt at growing my own food (with the exception of tatties which I grow most years, and herbs, except for 20 years ago when I had an allotment and grew a lot with my dad's help). Suffice to say I'm not yet very good at it, yet despite it being a dire year for everyone, and my inexperience, and the fact that I only gave a small amount of ground to the project, I still managed a four month spell of never having to buy any onions, got a few bags of tatties out the ground, more leaf beet than I could face, a fair few beans, and even a few courgettes, plus very small amounts of fruit.

In my neighbourhood, like many, there is a lot of open space. Currently those open spaces are mostly a combination of grass and dog poo. If food was really such a problem and enough people were bothered about it, those green spaces could be turned into beautiful and productive communal gardens. It wont happen in the foreseeable future, because even without the red tape, if you asked many people nowadays to pick up a spade and do some unpaid communal work, they'd look at you like you were insane, and even if it did happen, you'd get a minority that would come in at night and trash it just because they can.

 

Maybe, necessity will become the Mother of invention in the fullness of time Cl1. In 20yrs time, I will be at the mercy of those that are younger, stronger and fitter. It's a bit of a worrying thought,
Jenny

 

Oh, yes Jenny it is a worry. I myself am in a position where I interview/hire people much younger than I, it is so scarey to think that some of what I interact with could be the "sampling" of what is out there.

 

They already do, Mum. Been part of the National Curriculum for years, 8 years old and upwards. Do you think it's having any effect yet?http://webarchive.nationalarchives....ork/literacy/planning/year4/nonfiction/unit1/


Shiney - spot on. People need to know how to use cheap basic ingredients (often the most nutritious ones) to make simple healthy meals.

Schoolchildren are taught a lot about healthy eating and food groups and when doing "food technology" have to apply this knowledge but are also encouraged to view food preparation as creating a "product" rather than making sensible food for a family to enjoy eating - presumably to help them grow up to be the sort of people who can invent stuff like Sunny Delight.

I'm worried about the cost of raw ingredients such as fruit and veg going steeply up in price. However, I think it's the people who load their trolleys with over-priced processed food laden with fat and sugar and probably stripped of many nutrients that are really paying over the odds. If they then chuck half of it out because it's a nanosecond past its sell-by date then they deserve to be poor.

I don't think I'll be able to find ways to economise other than growing more produce as I spend as little as poss on food anyway.

 

Thank you for the link Madahhlia. Is it having any effect yet? I do know that it doesn't seem to have sunk in too well with my sons; both still very opinionated

As for food technolgy, yes, it does appear to be geared towards an entrepreneurial/business slant; pity!

 

Has it sunk in, yet?

You bet. All the kids I see have the mentality and intelligence of The Sunday Sport.

 

There's much positive brainwashing of the very young at the moment. Check out how many healthy eating, nature and fitness programs feature on cbeebies.

My favourite, Mr Bloom's Nursery. The intro tells you half the story.


Or there's my favourite (or second fave, can't choose between her and Nina) TV lady, Katy, in "I Can Cook".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/cbeebi...s_Amazing_Carrot_and_Squash_Cookies_and_Maze/

There's Lazy Town, where fresh fruit is 'Sports candy' and 'Dirt Girl World' where we learn about all the bugs, and 'Tree Fu Tom' is a good one, where we learn a bit about nature but have to do our daily Tree Fu to help give Tom the power he needs. Fi Fi and the Flower Tots are always growing things and cooking things. The list goes on. Its all a step in the right direction at least.

 

Oh I know about Wimpy houses as I live in one, very very tiny but ever so warm as you may or may not know I am in my eighties, But still manage to grow a few runner beans bit of spinach which I dislike but grow and eat it because it is good for me ! It would not do any good to give people gardens as they are so lazy they cannot even manage to keep the little bit they have, tidy with a few exceptions (older neighbours) mostly.I downsized a few years ago took a bit of getting used to everything smaller but what I have I make good use of it is incredible just how much you can grow.I have Rhubarb in the freezer crab apple jelly lbs of it... 1st thing I did was plant a tree
Few raspberry canes, wild garlic ,lotsa mint varieties but having grown up in the war time my Dad used to grow things so was taught at an early age how to do it pity don't have room for a few chickens so buy my other stuff from the very good local farmers market. where the garlic comes from the Isle of wight not China sack of spuds odd sizes very tasty .all sorts of goodies very cheap leeks with all the tops on good soup etc. PS who is Adam Smith?

 

Adam Smith, rosie, is the father of modern economics.

Here is a link for you, if you wish to understand more: Adam Smith