Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Food crisis could force wartime rations and vegetarian diet on Britons

British people may face wartime rations
Valerie Elliott
Times Online

The British people face wartime rations and a vegetarian diet in the event of a world food shortage, a new official assessment on the UK’s food security suggests today.

Even though the nation is 73 per cent self-sufficient in food production, higher than during the 1950s, the food chain is at risk from global influences such as a worldwide increase in population, climate change bringing extreme weather patterns, higher oil prices and more crops being grown for bio-fuel instead of food.

Supplies in future may also be disrupted by animal disease outbreaks, disruption of power supplies, trade disputes and interruptions for shipping and at ports.

The UK however has one of the highest cereal production capabilities in the world with seven tonnes grown per hectare, compared a world average of 3.3 tonnes per hectare.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I listened to the BBC Radio 4 discussion on the article by Valarie Elliott on, "Food crisis could force wartime rations and vegetarian diet on Britons"

This panic response is charastic of the British. There is still a subconscious irrational fear of food shortage from their wartime experiences and even further back to the Irish Potato Famine of the 18th CENTURY.

In addition, the possibility of an absence of a meat-based diet and the multi-million pound meat industry is a major trigger as the 'Mad Cow', 'Swine Flu' and other animal diseases fowl continue to threaten the meat food chain.

Britons need to ration themselves as obesity is a major problem for the National Health Service and as for a Vegetarian Diet being a side-effect of a British Food Crisis; I say bring on the crisis as a transfer from meat to vegatarianism/veganism can only be a blessing and Yah-wah's way of giving the Genesis Eating Plan a hand.

Rainforest Princess
London