is our food system broken?

“Our Food System is Brok…” – Change the Damn Record

Gavin Wren Food Opinion Pieces, Writing

“The food system is in crisis” is a phrase that sits with uncomfortable ease in any discussion about food. A statement intended to create a sense of shock and disgust in an audience is as surprising as finding there’s only one chocolate digestive left in the pack; it’s a bit sad but ultimately has little impact on the rest of my day.

Certainly, as an average consumer, there are few visible crises, perhaps food prices shift a tiny bit, but there’s food on the shelves and I’ve not gone hungry in recent memory. The state of being ‘broken’ implies that something has completely stopped working, yet everything seems to be working just fine and dandy in downtown consumerville.

Elevate your position of thought for a moment. Step beyond the mindset of simply consuming food and instead, look at yourself as a citizen with a voice. Changing that single word is…

sustainability awkward

Sustainability — The Most Awkward Word in Food

Gavin Wren Food Opinion Pieces, Writing

Sustainability. What a word, eh? Just look at it, all six of it’s magnificently uncomfortable syllables lined up in a row, begging to be used as frequently as possible in government, the corporate world or as shorthand for anyone who wishes to demonstrate how planetarily woke they are. Making potato peel crisps or porridge patties? That’s REAL LIFE sustainability happening right before your eyes.

In reality, sustainability is a bit dull, you can’t go out on date night for some sexy sustainability, or have a quiet Sunday relaxing on the sofa with some sustainability. It’s not a hobby or a team sport, you can’t get together with your pals on a Tuesday evening at the local leisure centre and play a few rounds of sustainability. Sustainability is like a beautiful butterfly, fluttering around, touching everything we see, yet, should we reach out to grasp it, it will evade our capture…

How to make food

How To Make Food

Gavin Wren Food Education, Writing

It’s very easy to make food. Take some seeds or baby animals, add some of nature’s resources, like soil, grass, air, water or sunlight plus a few processed ingredients like animal food, fertilisers etc. Sit back, wait and sooner or later you will get some food, in the form of vegetables, fruit, grains, animals and so on. These foods can be combined with other foods and make even more food, like pies, sandwiches or jelly …

borough talks future of food

The future of food at Borough Market

Gavin Wren Food Education, Writing

Last week saw the final instalment of Borough Market’s ‘Borough Talks’ series, a set of hugely engaging debates that have taken place over the last few months as part of Borough Market’s 1000 year anniversary. This time it was about the future of food, a subject that filled my mind with wild sci-fi fantasies of space age foods and Jetsons-inspired meal packs, so I was keen to find out what people had to say, with …