There's one small change which can make a massive difference to each consumer

A Tiny Consumer Change with Big Potential for Food

Gavin Wren Food Opinion Pieces, Writing

We Consume.

Those of us who live in developed, affluent countries fiercely defend our position as consumers on this planet. We have consumer’s rights, consumer organisations and carefully plan our path of consumption, be it food, products or experiences.

It’s seen as the great aspirational freedom, to be able to consume at will. The greater the personal success and resources, the greater the opportunities for consumption. We devour food, imbibe beverages and plough through products with joyful abandon, because that is what living in a free, democratic, capitalist country means. It’s even become a growing issue in developing countries, dubbed the ‘nutrition transition’, as rapid economic growth leads people to pursue an aspirational Western diet, eating lots of meat and sugar, heading directly into over-consumption.

The USA and United Kingdom consume so much food, it’s estimated the United States is ploughing through natural resources at a rate equivalent to… come and read more…

weight loss secrets why diets don't work

Weight Loss Secrets – Why Diets Don’t Work

Gavin Wren Food Education, Food Opinion Pieces, Writing

“I’m going on a diet”

Really? (yawn) Again?

We’ve all been there. And we’ve all heard it before.

Diets Don’t Work.

Eating too much food is a big global issue. The amount of diet-related illness in the world due to over consumption is increasing massively and the UK is charging ahead with this.

63.4% of the UK population is overweight or obese. Sixty three point four percent. That’s a lot.

Almost no-one decides to become overweight or obese. I doubt that many people in the world start each day by planning to extend their burgeoning waistline, or become giddy with excitement about a shopping trip to buy trousers with an extra 2 inches on the waistline.

Despite this upward trend in body size, dieting and wellness is a national obsession. Millions of people bow at the alter of the latest weight loss… come and read more…

YBFs Floating Red Onion

The YBFs

Gavin Wren Food Opinion Pieces, Writing

Young British Foodies.

Every year, there’s an awards ceremony dedicated to the grassroots talent in the food industry, the unsung heroes and the up-and-coming visionaries in the food world. These awards celebrate the people who are really, really into food, but haven’t received the recognition they deserve yet. Let’s call them foodies (despite my disdain for that term) because that’s what the awards are called, the Young British Foodie awards, or YBFs for short.
Entries for the 2017 tranche of accolades has just opened, anyone can enter into the various categories, from foodservice, via alcohol to food writing or social media sharing, on the YBFs website.
As a celebration of these awards, I want to share my 2016 entry. I’m positive it only narrowly missed being a finalist, at least that’s what I like to tell myself. I hope you enjoy it, while I get on

Culinary Luddism

Culinary Luddism and The Downside of Slow Food

Gavin Wren Food Opinion Pieces, Uncategorized, Writing

10 days ago my interest was piqued by a tweet from Jay Rayner, proclaiming that people who think “ALL PROCESSED FOODS BAD” should read an article by food historian Rachel Laudan about ‘Culinary Luddism’. In this beautifully educational piece about the culinary history of local foods, Laudan explains at great length why processing, locality and freshness are not inherently good things, especially when viewed through a historic window …

An avocado in defence of clean eating

In Defence of Clean Eating

Gavin Wren Food Opinion Pieces, Writing

Congratulations, you’ve made it through January 2017. We can now turn our backs on that inaugural month and all the short lived health crazes that accompanied it. Veganuary and dry january both featured prominently on social media this year, the last vestiges of many new leafs which abounded just a few weeks ago have fallen into the annals of history for yet another year. We’ve already reached peak gym membership 2017. In this time I’ve …

Should I eat meat? fishing

Should I Eat Meat? Part 1 – Fishing

Gavin Wren Food Opinion Pieces, Writing

Last week I wrote about my moral dilemma around eating meat. I’ve decided it’s morally incongruous to eat meat if I’m not prepared to kill, butcher and cook some animals with my own hands. As a city dweller, I’ve never experienced the killing and preparation of meat, or going fishing for my dinner, because they’ve been far removed from my daily lifestyle. The only way for me to resolve this dilemma is to go out and kill some animals, then prepare and cook them, before reflecting on how I feel about the process.

My recent holiday in Goa, on the west cost of India, should have provided abundant opportunities to head out to sea and catch some fish to begin exploring this dilemma. Whilst there I decided to embrace the chance to seek out and… come and read more…