If Britain leaves the EU without a trade deal it will be the only country in the world – bar none – to trade solely on WTO terms. Brexiters are often of the view that we are a vassal state of the EU, neatly ignoring that we are one of 28 member states and one… Read more
Category:
Food
Five a day is a marketing fiction
As I’m sure more assiduous readers will be aware, I’ve already pointed out that ‘five a day’ is a marketing fiction. Building on this, there is a half hour podcast from the ever interesting nutritionist, Zoe Harcombe, which is from November last and which I have only just discovered. It seems to me it is… Read more
The Tin Can Cook
This is short – but I think I should simply highlight the crowdfunder for the ‘Tin Can Cook’ where any excess – over and above funds required to publish the actual book, which now seems to be funded, will go to help foodbanks. But she tells you all about it! Although I’ve long respected Jack… Read more
Sugar tax dangers
There is a new and very worrying study that suggests that aspartame (one of those sugar substitutes) actually destroys neurotransmitters – brain chemicals necessary for the function of neurons. Now this test may, possibly, not be correct in humans. But in my view we really need to affirm the safety of these chemicals in food… Read more
Taxing meat
I usually like Richard Murphy’s ideas – but not this one: under his Tax to Save The Environment he is in favour of taxing meat. This is principally, as I understand it, because cattle, sheep and goats, owing to their ruminant stomachs, emit significant quantities of methane. Now I haven’t established whether he thinks horses,… Read more
Chickens and Hayek
I strongly recomment a listen to The Inquiry – How did we mess up antibiotics? A part of the story involves chickens. The figure below is from businessinsider. Clearly, there is something not natural going on here. Back in 1989 I went on a trek in the far north of Thailand. In the villages, chickens… Read more
Realistic Fishing
This is an excellent 50 seconds by the SNP MP, Dr Philippa Whitford, on the disastrous control of the UK fishing industry. Many fishermen all over the UK (and some to my personal knowledge) were fervently in favour of Brexit, whilst seemingly ignoring the fleets of trucks taking their catches, not to inland Britain, but… Read more
Seventh Day Adventism in your Cornflakes
The widespread adoption of Cornflakes as a breakfast cereal spread quickly from the US to the UK post war. But how many know that it was originally a vegetarian cure for invalids based around Biblical belief from the all American Seventh Day Adventist Church founded in 1854? An old article in ‘The Smithsonian’ shows how… Read more
Food – Project Fact
Some very worrying research has come from the University of Liverpool and Imperial College London, which suggests that the shortage of fresh food which would certainly be caused by the disruption engendered by any no deal Brexit and also, importantly, a free-trading agreement with the EU and even with third-party countries. All scenarios would necessitate… Read more
Vegan meat problem
A short pointer towards a suggested read – Joanna Blythman’s concise article here (in the food trade Bible – ‘The Grocer’) ‘Why we should resist the vegan putsch’ on the suggestion that we should eat very little meat from the Eat-Lancet Commission. Surprisingly and worryingly to me, it seems to have the chemical company, Monsanto,… Read more