Food production is responsible for a quarter of global carbon emissions.
So what we eat, and how and where it was produced all impact our carbon footprint – even if it’s hardly reflected in the price we pay for food at the till. The increasing popularity of vegetarianism and veganism suggest that people are waking up to the ‘real cost’ of their diet choices – not to mention the ethics of dairy and meat production.
There are deeper questions too about our relationship with food. In the rush to make it ever cheaper and more convenient, have we lost touch with the time-honoured practices of growing, cooking and sharing what we eat?
And what of food supply chains? Covid-19 gave us a glimpse of empty supermarket shelves: shouldn’t we be building local (and thus more resilient and low-carbon) supply chains? Explore these and other food-related questions below.
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Carolyn Steel’s fascinating history (2020) of humanity’s complex relationship with food – with a vision of how to feed the world more healthily and sustainably.

How does Britain get its food? Why is our current system at breaking point? How can we fix it before it is too late? Tim Lang’s book explores all the big food questions.