What's wrong with our food?

The way this food is produced, distributed and consumed is unsustainable in every sense of the word. It contributes to:

• Unsustainable economies: The global food economy is heavily reliant upon non-renewable resources and using the environment for waste disposal. This cannot be maintained indefinitely without experiencing a decline in the quality and quantity of 'services' provided by the natural world, -thereby reducing the ability of the economy to deliver a similar standard of living to future generations.

• Environmental damage: Food transportation, which comprises 25% of our road traffic , uses up scarce fossil fuels and causes pollution. The vast majority of organic waste is land-filled, using up land, generating methane and leaking pollutants into groundwater. Much of our food is genetically uniform and is grown using an array of chemicals, undermining the richness of the natural world.

• Ill health: Rich people are less likely to die from diet related diseases than poor people. Many on low incomes cannot afford fresh produce and live on housing estates with no, or inadequate, food shops. They may have to depend more on processed, fatty and sugary foods which are cheaper per calorie than fresh, wholesome food.

• Powerlessness: A MORI survey of 8-11 year olds found that a fifth did not know that cheese comes from milk . Celebrity chef shows may top the TV ratings, but many people have forgotten how to cook food, let alone grow it, and now depend upon food manufacturers for their basic needs. The decline in cooking and food growing, particularly among young people, has eroded important life skills and contributed to a culture of dependence and powerlessness.

A city good enough to eat

Support for food growing activities in towns and cities could yield a range of benefits. These include:

• Environmental regeneration: Local food production reduces transport and minimises the need for protective packaging. Instead of landfilling, green waste can be composted and used to grow fruit and vegetables. Allotments and gardens are often home to a diversity of old, non-commercial varieties of fruit and vegetables - a counter to the monocultural wilderness of many rural agricultural areas.
  
  
• Better health: Food growing projects can increase people's access to fresh fruit and vegetables, and provide a form of cheap, productive exercise. Gardening is a popular way of relieving stress; more formal horticultural therapy has helped those suffering from mental health problems. A greener environment can reduce the incidence of pollution related illnesses.
  
  
• Green jobs: The US government's Urban Gardening programme estimates that a $1 investment in food growing projects yields $6 of produce. Fulfilling jobs could be created not just in food growing, but in a range of related enterprises, such as processing (preserves, dried and frozen produce, flavoured oils and vinegars, cakes), catering (cafés, restaurants) distribution (food co-ops), and waste management (composting). Research shows that over 350 full time jobs could be created in waste collection, composting and marketing of compost alone. Food growing projects can help boost local shops and markets, regenerate the locality and provide an alternative to out-of-town shopping.
  
  
• Community pride: The common experience of growing, cooking and enjoying food can break down barriers across age, ethnicity, class and gender, stimulate a sense of 'ownership' of and pride in the local environment, and galvanise people to co-operate on other issues of social concern. Growing and cooking food can be a way for people to take control of their own lives.
  
  
• Educational opportunities: Some schools incorporate food growing into the teaching of science, geography, maths and other subjects. Growing and cooking food also provide opportunities for hands-on health and environmental education. There is also potential for vocational training; horticulture and catering are already established NVQs.