December 5th, 2007 by admin
Yesterday’s front page headline in the Daily Express was “FRUIT AND VEG PRICES UP 23%”. The article commented on the increased demand for fruit and veg as people try to eat a better diet.
The article also went on to explain some of the reasons why other foods have also increased worldwide. Reporter Jo Macfarlane said, “…Poor wheat harvests and an increasing demand for food worldwide have produced record levels of food inflation, which, in turn, have pushed up the price of meat and dairy products as farmers try to recoup the cost of expensive feed. And with continued high oil prices and severe weather in regions where crops are grown, food costs are likely to rocket further…”
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December 2nd, 2007 by Leanne
Yesterday www.Peakfood.co.uk had an article published on pages 10 and 11 of The Yorkshire Post’s Country Week (thanks to Michael Hickling!) It mainly discussed price increases and the threats to future food production and can be read below or on the Yorkshire Post’s web site:
A global problem that needs local action right now
As an East Yorkshire Farmer with 45 years of experience of growing carrots, onions, potatoes and wheat, I’ve known some profitable years, plenty of okay years, and an increasing number of years when we haven’t done much better than break even. Many of my neighbours have been diversifying, or even selling up all together because they see no future in small-scale farming; and my own son stopped working on the family farm two years ago. In my local area I can count on one hand the number of under 30-year-old farmers.
Then we have a year like this one, and suddenly farmers are more optimistic. Wheat, milk, potatoes and egg prices are all climbing. Welcome, overdue news, everyone in the food industry is thinking, and long may it continue.
But are sustained price increases really what we want? Could there be an ominous reason as to why it’s happening?
As I’m sure you know, most foods Read the rest of this entry »
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Nick Mathiason reported the following in the Observer on 11/11/07;
“Gordon Brown has launched a far reaching investigation in to the security of Britain’s food supply amid fears that the era of cheap prices is coming to an end.The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office’s strategy unit to look into the future of food production in a world of changing weather patterns, increasing take-up of biofuel crops and a shifting world population. The study will also examine the obesity time bomb, which is set to overtake smoking as the biggest cause of premature death.
“The food study is one of the first projects Brown has asked the strategy unit to look at. It will deliver its findings in March.
“Changing weather patterns attributed to global warming have in recent months seen severe droughts affect the bread basket of America. This could have a dramatic effect on crop yields, and the study will spell out the consequent options for Britain’s growing population.
“The trend for farmers to replace food crops with biofuel crops as governments demand alternatives to oil could push food prices above their long-term averages for the past decade. The growing affluence of China and India is also increasing world demand for food.
“The unit will focus on key diet and economic trends before asking industry and NGOs to respond before the end of the year. One insider suggested that a radical reconfiguration of where foodstuffs are grown would be considered, probably looking at Europe as a whole. There are also suggestions that genetically modified high-yield crops will have to be introduced to satisfy growing demand.
“Food industry insiders say the Prime Minister deserves praise for starting a debate on food security now. But Julian Jessop, chief international economist at Capital Economics, said: ‘For most people it has been obvious that there is upward pressure on food prices. My initial reaction to this is that it’s better late than never, though I’m not sure what one country can do on its own.’”
