Will the UK Become Vegetarian?
Food Crisis Could Force a Vegetarian Diet on Britons
2009 is proving to be a bad year what with the economic downturn and swine flu. Now however, something new can be added to the list. According to a new official assessment on the UK’s food security, Britain faces the prospect of a vegetarian diet in the event of a world food shortage. What exactly is the Problem?
Several factors are to blame when it comes to the global food system and the strains that it’s harbouring, such as climate change, water shortage, low fish stock and changing land which makes growing the crops much harder. Dr Chris Atkinson, head of science at East Malling Research in Kent, UK announced on BBC News that ‘in the next few years the UK would not be able to rely on imports of cheap food. A number of places where the UK sources food, like southern Spain, Greece and Italy, are going to find it very difficult in the next 50 years to continue to produce the levels of food they currently do.’
Restrictions in trade of meat and poultry from Argentina and Brazil and climate change would be the biggest threats to the UK’s food and supply chain. However when it comes to climate change it would require new growing techniques such as reduced water usage in agriculture that would be needed to boost food population.
Consequently in the event of an extreme emergency every person would be eating a predominantly vegetarian diet, which would consist of cereals, fruit and vegetables and less meat and poultry. Even though the nation is 73 per cent self-sufficient in food production, higher than during the 1950s, Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary has ordered officials to prepare for a scenario where the country could feed itself.