Food 'n' Drink – Food and Drink news |

Major changes in the way our food is produced are necessary if the human race in general is to avoid starvation.  Instead of concentrating on the use of diminishing and irreplaceable natural resources to increase crop yields and expand production, we need to reverse the course and head back to the organic farming that took place before the age of industrialisation.

In a study by UN Special Reporter on the right to food, Olivier de Schutter, it was demonstrated that farmers in developing countries, specifically Africa, could double their food production within ten years by changing from expensive chemical fertilizers and pesticides to an ecological form of agriculture that employs nature’s own defenses against pests and a more eco-friendly approach to cultivation, amongst other things.

De Schutter says that such an alteration in farming methods would require a change on the order of the Industrial Revolution itself, and he feels it will be more difficult for developed nations to make the switch as they are so dependent on and “addicted to” modern, mostly oil-based mass-production farming methods.

In less modernised countries, however, this reversal has already proven successful.  In at least 57 countries, eco-farming projects increased crop yield by 80% using naturally occurring elements to enrich the soil and repel damaging pests and diseases.  Such projects should be instigated in other countries, with the expectation that crop yields could be doubled in just a couple of years, and the cost of producing them reduced by a substantial amount.

Agroecology is a fairly new term, loosely defined as the application of ecological principles to the production of food.  It is based on the sciences of agronomy and ecology, taking into account the varying conditions in different areas of the world.  Ideally, agroecology is tailored to specific soil conditions, indigenous pests and plants, climate and a range of other variables.  It is based on scientific study of these factors combined with the experience of local farmers.

In the UK, the Food and Drink Federation recently published figures showing that £10 billion worth of food and drink was exported in 2010.  Those figures lead to the conclusion that the country needs to put more effort into making the best possible use of its limited amount of farmland.  According to De Schutter’s report, it’s possible to do so while at the same time keeping the overall cost of food from rising the way it has been for the past couple of decades.

This basically common sense approach, making use of native plants, animals, bacteria and minerals to do the jobs that man-made chemicals are doing in ‘modern’ farming, has a lot of potential benefits.

If the UK and other developed countries concentrate on research in this area, and in making the information available to growers, large and small, we may be on the way to averting the looming food crisis not only in developing nations but across the entire planet.

Products displaying the Fairtrade logo are frequently more costly here than those goods without the symbol. While shoppers accuse supermarkets of excessive profit making, it must be remembered that the large mark up does cover the basic housing, health and food needs of the local people in the producing countries such as Brazil and India.

An award, the Fairtrade Mark, is made by The Foundation to any product label which meets worldwide Fairtrade standards. It is the only award of this type in the country and the list of suitable products is expanding almost daily. Most consumables are covered under the Fairtrade award umbrella and range from tea and coffee through to bananas fruit juices and even baby foods.

Consumers are encouraged to buy products bearing the Fairtrade logo as many smaller farmers throughout the world have difficulty in feeding their children and keeping their farms viable. Shoppers tend to look for low priced goods without a care for the farmers who earn a meager amount, often working in dreadful circumstances.

By purchasing products that display the Fairtrade logo, the consumer can rest assured that the producers of these items like honey, sugar, coffee and tea will receive fair payment. There is no third party involved in raking off a portion of the profits. Those producers operating under the Fairtrade banner are ensured of a fair deal.

Consumers do improve the conditions of small farming communities throughout the world when they buy Fairtrade products. As an example, Ethiopian farmers often receive double the price for their coffee compared to the farmer who sells on the open market enabling the farmers to break the cycle of poverty.

Many shoppers have difficulty in finding reasons for not supporting Fairtrade. Customers need to look for products carrying the Fairtrade logo and show support by making a purchase. It is not a charity; it is merely a way of correcting an unjust balance. Many will benefit from this action.

In 2009 higher wages were protested for by the tea workers in Sri Lanka, home of Ceylon Tea. At that time they wanted their wages to be doubled to $4.50 for a day’s wage. That wage is comparable to purchasing an inexpensive box of tea in supermarkets throughout the UK and close to half of the minimum wage in the United States for an hour’s work.

Living in Sri Lanka is much less expensive but a recent report says almost 33% live in poverty. This is now being addressed by Fair Trade which aims at not just the production of tea but the production of agricultural products, clothing and many other products that wealthier nations import like the UK.

This is not limited to just Sri Lanka, the poverty problem that is associated with low wages is an important issue for a myriad of countries that exported from. Not including Japan, the majority of tea is produced in the developing world where workers are exploited, where there is degradation of the environment, slave labor, child labor and many other violations of human rights.

The concept is a social movement and is hard to define and pin down concisely. The idea is that people are paid a fair wage, have a good working environment and work in transparent and democratic organizations. This is achieved by the issuance of certificates to producers or groups that meet the standards. Those conditions include price, pay, working conditions, and organization of businesses.

The bottom line is to promote the goals and values of Fair trade that are development, community, environment, conservation and economic justice. Another integral part of fair trade is sustainability, whether it is in tea production or in the production of other things.In a world where consumer advice can come from the consumers themselves, more and more people understand the value of Fair Trade products and pass on their support through online and offline word-of-mouth promotion. On many product review websites, such as www.personalopinion.co.uk, products which benefit local communities and producers are highly rated. Many consumers are aware of the responsibility their buying power has towards making other lives better off and would like to spread this knowledge. When it comes to having a quiet conscience whilst having a cuppa, people are increasingly looking towards Fair Trade alternatives. Fair trade teas as well as other fair trade products are a bit higher priced than those that are not under the fair trade label. They can be at times quite competitive in pricing but generally speaking are higher priced. Also, one reason the price is not exorbitantly higher is the elimination of the middlemen.

Food labels in the UK will now distinguish foods that are produced from Palestine and foods that are produced from Israeli settlements.

The guidelines will change the way labels use to group the countries together naming the West Bank as the origination of goods. The government stated that it will not boycott the importation of Israeli goods, but that the current settlements are a roadblock to peace in the area.

Israel reported that the move is displeasing while Palestine welcomed the new change.

West Bank Jewish settlements are illegal according to international law although Israel disputes this fact. Now at the supermarket goods will be marked distinctly either ‘Palestinian produce’ or ‘Israeli settlement produce.’

Delegate to the UK of Palestine Manuel Hassassian stated that the country welcomes the new change to food labels and remarked that the country has pushing for the change to happen for the past two years.

He continued to say that the country has been lobbying supermarkets in the UK to make the change once they found that the stores were selling items that were from the illegal settlements.

On the other hand, statements from the Israeli embassy were less positive with remarks made that the country is disappointed in the UK and that it is one step closer to encouraging a boycott of Israeli goods.

Cadbury Dairy Milk’s Fairtrade certification in the UK and Ireland is something worth singing about – watch out for the awesome dance moves in this video. If you like it you can download the single from iTunes with net profits going to charity Care International.