Birmingham Food Council – We focus on threats to the food supplies to Birmingham and beyond

Covid-19 and its impact on our food supplies

Commentary on what's happening

VIDEO: How fresh produce gets from a farm to you

— set to music

The National Food Strategy

Our response to their Call for Evidence

Risk and resilience

A Briefing Note for policy decision-makers
& their advisors

An apple a day

The scale of it all.
A cheery little video about a big subject.

Rights, responsibilities, principles & an elephant

Food system ethics

VIDEO: Drugs & Rock & Roll?

The story of the global drug food companies
that dominate our food system

Articles

It’s time to act against drug-food corporations for the health of the population and the planet

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) published our Rapid Response to an article by Tim Spector & Christopher Gardner’s

Cybernetics Society: UK preparedness for future food system shocks

This is an account of my talk on 12 September 2020 to the UK and American Cybernetics Societies on UK preparedness for future food system shocks:

Future System Shocks: A Committee on Food Security?

Should the UK have a Committee on Food Security, similar to the Committee on Climate Change?

Future System Shocks: A thought experiment about buffer food stocks

Our latest report UK preparedness for future system shocks is a thought experiment.

Future System Shocks: Building resilience through buffer contingency stocks?

The impact of Covid-19 lockdown on food supplies threw a harsh spotlight on our response and preparedness for what is potentially much worse to come.

Covid-19 commentary: Coming out of lockdown: An account of food supply system fragilities

Things could have been worse, much worse. Nonetheless, lockdowns across the world have exposed serious fragilities in the UK food supply system:

Covid-19 commentary: Re-think food and farming on this week’s Farming Today

This week’s Farming Today was outstanding. And I’m not just saying that because Barbara Bray was the first speaker.

View Articles & Videos View Photos

birminghamfoodcouncil

Day 28. Takeaway Thursdays. Nothing like a pile of

Day 28.
Takeaway Thursdays.
Nothing like a pile of chips to compliment a bit of fish. Thursday being takeaway day seems to be one of the only habits I’m forming. It seems as though fast food and takeaway have become staple industries during the lockdown, which, while I am grateful for, does throw up questions around contact. How close is everyone in the kitchen? Does the virus stick to food? Should we be avoiding the outside world wherever possible? Even delivery services? What happens to those businesses when no ones buying the food but they’re still open?
I don’t have these answers, but it made dinner conversation more interesting.
#covid_19 #covid19uk #covıd19fooddiary

Day 25. BBQ Day. Possibly my favourite way to cook

Day 25.
BBQ Day.
Possibly my favourite way to cook, despite the 4 hours it takes to get it lit,
BBQ always reminds me of friends and family being together and having good times. I try and BBQ every year for my birthday (June 11th, if your interested) but this year seems to be getting closer to the reality of having a virtual BBQ.
#covid_19 #covid19uk #covıd19fooddiary

Day 23. Chicken & rice + mint yogurt and pepper.

Day 23.
Chicken & rice + mint yogurt and pepper. We revolve around 3 staples, pasta, rice and potatoes. Then veg and meat is added depending on what we fancy. Pasta has been off the table *wink wink*, so lots of rice and lots of potatoes. Always good.
#covid_19 #covid19uk #covıd19fooddiary

Day 21. Pizza. Disaster strikes the household- onl

Day 21.
Pizza.
Disaster strikes the household- only a handful of chips in the freezer. All good, we’ll just have a big salad with it. Disaster part two. No salad, save for a cucumber and an avocado the size of a golf ball. A very carby dinner ensues.
#covid_19 #covid19uk #covıd19fooddiary

Day 19. Tomato chicken & tagliatelle. We’re real

Day 19.
Tomato chicken & tagliatelle.
We’re really lucky to be able to eat outside, in a garden, and the longer that ‘lockdown’ continues, the more time I seem to spend there. On the food update front, other than the long queues at the supermarkets to get in (I go at 7pm if needed!) food supplies seem to be relatively normal, although pasta seems to still be missing (Why?!) What updates are you interested in? Anything about the food supply chain that interests you? #covid_19 #covid19uk #covıd19fooddiary

Day 16. Steak and Chips. Had a little break from t

Day 16.
Steak and Chips.
Had a little break from the updates, partly because I’m finding it difficult to summarise the thoughts of the day, when not much is really happening. Other than the obvious, it doesn’t feel as though much has changed, in fact, it feels quite liberating to plod around doing the things you would try if you didn’t have daily commitments like work. Sustaining as self employed is always going to be challenging under the circumstances, but there’s something freeing about halving enforced time to reflect.
#covid_19 #covid19uk #covıd19fooddiary

Day 11. Chocolate Concrete. This post has to be de

Day 11.
Chocolate Concrete.
This post has to be dedicated to my co-isolation partner, @jordgarvey for making this unbelievable school pud. The toughest change during isolation has been working with a 4 year old whirlwind in the house. For the most part, she wants our attention and to play, but work doesn’t always mean it’s possible. We have been able to do a lot more together, including baking, but this new normal without 3 hours of school (I know, seems like a lot now though!) has been a challenge. Not to say it hasn’t been positive, but rapid evolution to a new way of working/living is needed.
#covid_19 #covid19uk #covıd19fooddiary

Day 10. Chicken Curry. 10 days in and I wonder if

Day 10.
Chicken Curry.
10 days in and I wonder if there’s ever going to be a drastic change to the plate, easy to say this early on, but having not lived through a crisis of this scale and from a relatively privileged background, issues around food supply have not been on the forefront of my mind. We have enough and enough variety and feel lucky for it.
#covid_19 #covid19uk #covıd19fooddiary

Day 8. Teriyaki pork with veg and noodles. Altho

Day 8.
Teriyaki pork with veg and noodles. Although it’ll be some time before fully implemented - The governments plan for a universal basic income or thereabouts, throws up all sorts of questions about why aren’t we doing this anyway? Food & home security should be prioritised leaving people the option to earn more, or enjoy the time in other ways.
We are approaching the ends of the veg in the house, so a shopping trip is coming soon. Is it worth it? I feel as though you need to be going to the shop for a good fill up, not just little bits.
#covid_19 #covid19uk #covıd19fooddiary

Day 7. Hot Dogs & Fries. Finding much more time a

Day 7. Hot Dogs & Fries.
Finding much more time at home means much more time in the kitchen, spent a lot of time looking up recipes and ideas (mainly stuff to do with the bab!) #covid_19 #covid19uk #covıd19fooddiary

Load More… Follow on Instagram