WHAT'S the deal with our food?

Food is something we talk about a lot.

What we had to eat, what we are going to eat, where we ate it and then we make sure to take a photo of it and post it on all the available social media platforms - just to make sure that everyone knows what we have eaten or are about to get stuck into.

Isn’t that fantastic?

Well, not so much if you’re classified as being severely food insecure.

And according to a 2018 report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), averaging data from 2015 to 2017, there are an estimated 2.2 million people in the UK who are affected by food insecurity.

That is the highest reported level in Europe, and means that the UK is responsible for one-in-five of all severely food insecure people in Europe!

In June 2017, UNICEF found that in the UK approximately 19 per cent of children under age 15 live with an adult who is moderately or severely food insecure, of whom half are severely food insecure.

The Food Foundation further suggest that this makes the UK “one of, if not the, worst performing nation in the European Union”.

Of course, the report highlights the factors which have led to these very concerning statistics on food insecurity - and they are complex.

However, there certainly seems to be merit in the recommendation that a minister be appointed with responsibility for combating hunger and food insecurity in the UK.

It's also important to note the report's emphasis on the provision of quality food, and it must be recognised that post-Brexit trade deals which lead to more food imports from the other side of the world will not help the situation and could make it worse.

There needs to be a focus on ensuring people can buy food produced in the UK and that those who produce that food are paid fairly for it.

Introducing more rules and regulations for food producers, as some have proposed, seems likely to make the problem worse.

So, before we get too carried away sharing our food on social media and having arguments about what our diet consists or should consist of, why not put that time and effort into supporting an industry that has made it its life mission to feed the nation?

GLYN ROBERTS

FUW president