Our food choices are killing us and the planet. Here’s how to make a change.
“People are ready to respond to the story of food. They want positive actions they can engage in, and in their bones, they know it’s time to take personal responsibility and invest in more kindness to each other and to the environment.” Pam Warhurst, Incredible Edible
We as human beings struggle to see the consequences of our actions. These actions inevitably shape the world around us and with every change comes a series of unintended consequences. Take modern day food production. Whilst it has done well to establish food security, it has also caused a string of problems as a result.
Global inequality has been intensified by corporations taking land from the poor in developing countries to feed the ‘western world’ and in doing so, keeping people in a state of abundance. Unfortunately, this abundance has caused an increase in health problems associated with overnutrition such as heart disease and obesity. Human health is further impacted through overuse of antibiotics and hormones in animal rearing, which is now causing antibiotic immunity in consumers.
We need to understand our role in this and at the very least develop an empathy towards the people and animals that we commonly perceive as being far removed from our own existence. To combat this fear of what is termed ‘The Other’, participation is key and there are some great examples of this already happening in the UK. Incredible Edible is a guerrilla gardening group based in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, transforming council planted areas into edible gardens. And similarly, Share My Garden, who with the help of volunteers makes use of underused spaces in North London to grow food and engage people with alternative food systems.
In understanding how these interconnected issues affect our own health and community, we can be empowered to make changes to our purchasing and consumption that have a positive impact on ourselves and our communities.
- Hormones and antibiotics in meat
At the heart of the issue is the mass production of animals and the side effects of these processes. As a result of animals being crowded into small artificial spaces, they are commonly injected with antibiotics and hormones in order to keep them well whilst living in close confines with other animals. Not only are these animals affected emotionally and physically, but as a result of their antibiotic treatment, dormant bacteria exists in their cells and have been linked to sickness in consumers. The overuse of antibiotics now means that bacteria resistant to Colistin, the last resort antibiotic has been discovered in humans and pig meat in China. If this continues the World Health Organisation has predicted that many will die over very treatable diseases in the future. - ‘The Other’
The containment and design of animals for our consumption is one of many examples of humankind’s desire to control and manufacture the world around us, despite it inevitably leading to our demise. It is our lack of ability to recognise this innate flaw that makes humans self obsessed about their own needs. This can result in a lack of empathy for people, animals or things that may not have the ‘human’ characteristics we are so familiar with, something Tony Fry in ‘Becoming Human by Design’ calls ‘The civilised veneer.’ - Overnutrition
The increased consumption of meat has lead to what is called “The Western Diet” this is based on high meat intake and saturated oils. There is clear consistent evidence to suggest that this way of eating causes diseases that are associated with overnutrition such as heart disease and obesity. Through food communications such as the food wheel, a misunderstanding has been embedded in the public psyche that meat is the main source of protein. In fact, protein exists in all types of food including vegetables, beans, pulses and even flour. It is also argued that food has also become more associated with lifestyle than its original purpose of fuel, a concept perpetuated by increased celebrity chefs, magazines and perceived unattainable lifestyles in the media. Michael Pollan in ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’ says that we need to move towards a more ‘common sense diet,’ one which involves more vegetables and whole grains. This type of diet is not only better for human health but has less of drain on global resources. - Perpetuating systemic inequality
In our pursuit for a meat based diet, we are diverting food production away from human consumption. Philip Lymbery and Isabel Oakeshott argue in their book ‘Farmageddon’ that if the same amount of land used to grow food to feed animals was used to feed humans we could easily feed 3 billion people. Poorer people living in rural parts of the world have been pushed out of their land through the increasingly regular and brutal practice of Land Grabbing as highlighted in Stefano Liberti’s book, ‘Land Grabbing: Journeys in the New Colonialism’. The land of indigenous people and what ultimately provides their livelihood is used or bought at a cheap price by corporations to produce feed for animals or grow crops for human consumption, such as palm oil. This practice as the title of the book suggests is being coined the ‘New Colonialism’ as it quickly traps local people into a life of low wages working for the corporation. - Participation creates empathy with ‘The Other’
It is argued by Richard Sennett in his book, ‘Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation’ that we must strive for a more ‘porous society’, one where we live and work amongst people we do not necessarily know, or have anything in common with, without restrictive borders. In order to do this, participation is key to creating true empathy for ‘The Other’. In particular acts of Altruism can form the basis of authentic participation. Just like the employee who will support a colleague without incentive or reward, we have an opportunity to practice altruism in our everyday choices. In doing so we can consider both future generations and the people and animals who face more immediate suffering as a result of inequality and environmental crisis. - Signals of change
Incredible Edible are just one example of an organisation leading the way with participation and growing food. They are a guerrilla gardening group run entirely by volunteers, teaching people how to grow and use space originally used by councils and planted with ‘prickly plants,’ now growing practical fruit and vegetables. This has started people thinking about what is being made locally which has improved the local economy and shows that there is an appetite for this kind of participatory gardening activity. - Share My Garden
Share My Garden is following the example of Incredible Edible and planting fruits and vegetables in underused areas of London. They also offers workshops and activities to engage communities, schools and businesses in alternative food systems. Share My Garden is currently based in Jacksons Lane Theatre in Highgate, building a community garden with the help of volunteers, to provide food for the cafe. This is also helping Jacksons Lane reach their Creative Green certification, awarded to creative venues for improving their environmental practices.
In acknowledging the interconnected nature of our food we can develop a deeper understanding of how we have got to this point. We can also begin to understand that as consumers and citizens we have the power to change the current status quo through our everyday decisions and purchases. By spending our money locally we can disrupt, even boycott systems at the root of animal cruelty, bad diets and global inequality. And by growing our own fruit and vegetables we can develop a new appreciation for food and build bridges with those we would not usually have the opportunity to meet.
If you would like to know more about Share My Garden, have a garden in which you would like to grow food or would like us to host a workshop then do get in touch at: hello@sharemygarden.org or visit www.sharemygarden.org
