I have been thinking about an alternative food policy for the last few years. I am trying to put my finger on exactly what it is that is wrong at the moment (and there are many good things – cheap, abundant, varied food – not to be taken for granted).
It is a hypothesis and needs lots of refinement, but here are some working thoughts:
- Does a free market work for food? Or should food be a special case, treated differently to other consumer goods? (Vernon L Smith)
- Central regulation of the food supply can produce better health outcomes for consumers (Wartime rationing, work of Jack Drummond)
- Supermarkets are experts in logistics and supply chain management. This is is where they make their profit (the Wal-Mart revolution). How does this sit with healthy eating objectives?
- What influences people’s choice of food – price, availability, time constraints, culture, advertising?
- Is it inevitable we will gorge on fat and sugar, given the chance? Has this been an evolutionarily successful strategy?
- After sanitation and vaccination, is diet the most important factor in determining our health?
More anon
