Food waste

By Paul Fulford on June 23, 2008 9:47 PM | Permalink

Tonight's Channel Four documentary about rising food prices was shocking - not just because of the soaring figures nor just because of the profits being made by City wideboys at the expense of some of this planet's poorest and hungriest people, though that was perhaps the most appalling aspect.

Nor, even, was presenter Jay Rayner's girth the only cause for raised eyebrows.

Shocking, too, was the amount of food thrown away in this country - tons and tons of the stuff, worth a small fortune, every year.

Much of the blame lies with our obscene obsession with shopping - if it's on a shelf, we'll buy it...whatever if might be and whether or not we'll ever wear/watch/eat/drink it.

But there's another factor at work. Too many people in this country are too lazy to cook and too ignorant to make good use of ingredients. Show them a cabbage, a few spuds and a slice of stewing steak then offer them a calorific, fat-filled, puke-inducing pre-packaged meal ready to slap in the microwave and guess which they'd be most likely to choose for supper.

I'm not someone who lays the blame for society's ills at the doors of our schools, but here I think they have an important role to play.

They shouldn't just teach kids about food and cooking, not even simply demystify the subject - they should celebrate the preparation, eating and enjoyment of food.

Then, perhaps, we'll throw less in our bins.