Forget the presentations, the bonding exercises, the sales pitches, executive bonuses, company cars and other corporate paraphenalia: it belongs in the past. Today we need to adjust to accelerating climate change, political instability, there simply isn’t time for the other stuff. People are waking up to the planet’s problems a couple of generations too late,
It’s a wrap
Researchers at Portland State University (PSU) have confirmed high levels of microplastics in five species of wild fish caught inshore by local fishermen. Some 180 out of 182 samples analysed for the study showed signs of contamination by microplastics, which can be persistent and harmful to many species, including humans.
Fewer shops, fading footfall, future gloom?
Up and down the UK, we see Big Issue vendors on the high streets of Britain, clutching a bundles of magazines in a bid to sell an incisive vision of consumer society. As an example of the high standards of news writing that fills the pages of the magazine, issue 1060 published at the end of January carries a well-researched snapshot of the decline that is tightening its grip on British high streets and shopping centres. A downpage panel records the 2.2% year on year drop in footfall, as fewer shoppers venture out in 2024. Some 13,500 shops closed during the year, nearly one third more than the previous year’s 10,494 retail closures. This averages 37 shops closing every day, according to the Centre for Retail Research. Figures from the Altus Group record that there are now 38,989 pubs still trading in the UK, after 400 closed in 2024. Some of this decline could be laid at the feet of online shoppers, but the figures tell a story of dwindling economic activity.
They still don’t get it…
Amazingly, there are still folk around Britain who have failed to grasp the meaning of the words”third country”, let alone why it matters. The Centre for Inclusive Trade reports a 16% drop in British food exports to the EU and is calling for concessions that would be unfair to other third countries. There isn’t a cat in hell’s chance of the European Commission doing a special deal for a former member state that opted to become a third country.
Process of elimination
If there is so much money at stake, how strong is the case for accusing food manufacturers of Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) of wilful distortion? The arrival of wall to wall processed foods in British aisles in postwar years has been accompanied by rising numbers of patients needing treatment for heart disease and diabetes. While the nation gorges on sugar, salt and saturated fats, there is a drop in foods that bring whole grains, let alone fruit and vegetables. Processing very finely divided ingredients allows fertilisers and other toxic residues to spread downstream through the food chain. More worrying is the uptake of UFPs in the population. These foods now account for 57% of the adult diet and 66% of adolescent food intake. The health issues in later life are already filling up British hospitals and soak up two thirds of the health budget.
The real cost of doing nothing
The food industry is making more people ill with processed foods than its management would ever admit, according to the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. Researchers put the cost of chronic illness to the UK economy at GBP 268 billion. (https://ffcc.co.uk/publications/the-false-economy-of-big-food)This figure is four times the cost of fixing the problem, the report’s authors estimate. The opening statement reads like this:
New analysis commissioned by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) has found that the costs of Britain’s unhealthy food system amount to £268 billion every year – almost equivalent to the total annual UK healthcare spend.
The report by Professor Tim Jackson provides the first comprehensive estimate of the food-related cost of chronic disease, caused by the current food system. The analysis combines direct costs – the costs paid for from the public purse – including healthcare costs, social care costs and welfare, and indirect costs – costs that don’t show up in government accounts – which are productivity losses and human costs.It concludes that £268 billion is the food-related cost of chronic disease in the UK – calculated by combining healthcare (£67.5bn), social care (£14.3bn), welfare (£10.1bn), productivity (£116.4bn) and human cost (£60bn) of chronic disease attributable to the current food ecosystem.
The report makes the case for a new economy of food, anchored in three key principles:
- the right of every citizen – irrespective of class, income, gender, geography, race or age – to sufficient, affordable, healthy food;
- a regulatory environment which curtails the power of Big Food, promotes dietary health and halts the rise of chronic disease;
- a financial architecture that redirects money away from perverse subsidies and post-hoc damage limitation, towards preventive healthcare and the production of sustainable, nutritious food.
Animal intake of alcohol wider than previously assumed
A number of scientific journals are running stories in their November issues about species that routinely consume alcohol as a part of their diet. Naturalists argue that it would be strange if animals were to avoid naturally-occurring sources of alcohol, such as rotting fruit. The topic got a fresh airing in specialist titles, such as Science Daily or the news pages of Phys.org, as well as UK dailies such as The Independent and The Guardian.
The impetus for the current editorial interest comes from Trends in Ecology and Evolution. The journal collates behavioural observations from past years, to make a strong argument for removing anthropocentric assumptions about alcohol and the routine overlooking of certain aspects of dietary intake in wild populations. For instance, levels of Alcohol By Value (ABV) can top 10% in over-ripe palm fruit, while ethanol can be routinely detected in 29 of Costa Rica’s 37 fruits routinely eaten by the country’s frugivores.
Datacrumbs for week 28
After four years of test marketing, ASDA is taking down the refill stations that were installed at four UK stores. The proposition was simple: invite customers to bring in their own packaging (glass jars and the like) or use a new container from the refill station. They could then fill these from bulk containers, weigh the goods and take a till slip, to settle at the checkout. The fact that this project survived for four years suggests that ASDA did not lose any money with it: the retailer cites low consumer uptake as one of the main reasons for dropping the scheme. The story opens a whole raft of issues, far too broad to do it justice here, although there are some topics that we shall be revisiting in the coming weeks.
Week 23 datacrumbs
A world first: on-farm biogas liquefaction was demonstrated by Sublime Energie in the comfort of the sixth arrondissement of Paris this week. It may be good enough to put in a bottle, but, like the genie, you wouldn’t want it to get out…
After a year and a half of reflection and planning, the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has announced that it will implement a new operational structure on October 10. Details here.
With no more than a month to go before the election, War on Want is writing to party leaders to remind them of the sort of changes that ordinary people want to see. Find out more here.
Week 24 datacrumbs
Global warming is primarily the result of damaging policies and economic choices made by rich countries, while the impact is felt most acutely by poor countries and economies in the south. Tuesday June 11 is a Global Day of Action for Climate Finance, during which campaigners around the world seek justice for the victims of this imbalance. In the UK, War on Want is supporting a march from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street at 12 noon. Marchers will deliver a demand for positive action by prime minister Rishi Sunak at a summit of G7 member states in Turin next week. Link to the campaign here.
LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) is celebrating 30 years of sustainable farming on the weekend of June 26/27 with the return of the Groundswell festival event. More details here
AHDB UK clean pig slaughter numbers for week 24 recorded a week on week rise to 11,000 head, bringing year to date slaughterings up to 151,000 head as of June 1 this year. (estimated figures) The year to date figure is up by 1,000 during this time, while carcase weights have hardly moved over the past week at 90.58kg with just over 11mm back fat. AHDB pig market data is here.
Oil giants BP and Exxon are sufficiently frightened by grassroots campaigners to be planning to send 200 lobbyists to Canada this November in an attempt to delay a major international treaty that will reduce plastic packaging waste. International campaigns group Eko has a cunning plan to thwart their plans. More information here.