Thread by @alexjarmitage

FOOD SECURITY: Thread 🧵

It’s scary to see how fragile our food system has become.

These empty shelves at the Lerwick Tesco this evening are the result of just a few days’ disruption in our food supply.

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Shetland hasn’t had cargo from the UK mainland for 3 days and the supermarkets feel like ghost towns. There were no green vegetables apart from this one manky cabbage.

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But these scenes belie the fact that Shetland’s food system used to -and could easily again be -far more resilient.

Local shops in Shetland have a business model that relies far less heavily on the pursuit of profit, and much more on the value of serving the community.

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When I visited my local shops yesterday there was no lack of fresh fruit and veg, and staff told me that there was much more available in the stores. Local shops are also supplied to a much greater extent by local producers, supporting the wider local economy.

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Supermarkets, on the other hand, cut every corner they can to make money.

The result? Ecological damage, farmers pushed to the brink, deserted high streets & town centres, obesity, diabetes - and most worryingly, a food system that can’t handle just a few days’ disruption.

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As the world moves into a more uncertain future, driven by conflict and climate breakdown, we desperately need to find a more secure and sustainable way of guaranteeing humanity’s basic need of affordable, nutritious food.

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I believe that means less supermarkets and a circular food economy with more folk working the land, more local production and a thriving network of local shops.

#goodfoodnation #localfood

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