An introduction to the idea of ‘Food Justice’

‘You are what you eat.’ But how much do we really know about what we put into our bodies everyday and where it comes from?

You go to a supermarket. You pick up blueberries from Israel, tomatoes from Spain and bananas from Brazil. The ingredients in a pack of chocolate covered biscuits you buy come from all over the world, even if the factory that made it was in the U.K. Sugar from the Caribbean, cocoa from South America, milk and wheat from the E.U, salt from China.

Britain is, largely, a successful agricultural nation, specialising particularly in producing meat and dairy products. However despite this we still import 40% of the food we consume, particularly fruits and vegetables which grow better in warmer climates. As trade becomes freer and the world becomes increasingly globalised, this percentage is set to rise.

Of course, it makes sense to import food. The economic theory of comparative advantage suggests that countries should focus on producing what they produce best (that is, producing with the most efficient use of resources)- whether that’s growing coffee beans because they have the right climate for it, or farming cows like we do in the U.K because of our countrysides and farmlands. These countries should then export their surpluses on the global market and use the money to import products that they can’t grow easily themselves, resulting in greater diversity for all. This is a very simplified and theoretical model for how the global food system should work.

Of course, in real life things aren’t so simple. Natural disasters, droughts, bad harvests, epidemics and increasingly the effects of global warming all affect the way food is produced and cause big shocks in the food market. Even though new technology has increased food production, the demand for food has also increased dramatically due to the rising population and 1 billion people worldwide still go hungry. The capitalist economic system means that food, like other commodities, is distributed unequally and that the majority of those going hungry live in poorer countries, while in developed countries up to 30% of food is needlessly wasted.

Industrialisation in agriculture, climate change and difficulty accessing the resources they need have all disproportionately affected small-scale subsistence farmers in developing countries, who are put under pressure to meet the high standards and demands of the global food market yet are not paid a fair wage for their produce. While developed countries may benefit from this system, it is essentially unsustainable (especially due to the continued degradation of the environment) and alternative methods of managing the food supply chain must be explored.

Food justice is a movement dedicated to the exploration of new policies within the food system that can promote food stability in developing countries, fairer distribution, environmental sustainability and a more socially just food chain overall.