There’s a Steve Martin line: ‘some people have a way with words, and other people … no have way’. When it comes to speeches, I no have way, so at the Stuffed and Starved book launch on Thursday, I jotted down these few notes. I'm posting them up here for the twin reasons that they make a sound point about race and food in Britain, and that it'd make my parents happy. ... read more »

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Posted on 2 September, 2007 - 22:03

I'm dead pleased that the Guardian's Comment is Free section has run this short piece, on obesity and moral panic in Britain, a theme familiar to regulars here at Stuffed and Starved. Article follows, with a different title to the one they chose...

Beggars Can't Be Choosers

Obesity should not be tackled by pharmaceutical means but by looking at the social basis of diet

Raj Patel
Friday August 17, 2007
The Guardian

The head of the British Medical Association caused something of a ruckus this month when he shared his thoughts about how the nation might best tackle rising levels of obesity. Hamish Meldrum's observations came in two parts. First, he made an argument that obesity has fallen hostage to surgeons and pharmaceutical firms. Bariatrics, the medical branch concerned with obesity, is so new that it has yet to find its way into the OED. Its first surgical procedure was only carried out in 1954; today it's a multibillion-dollar industry. At the same time, drug companies are extending their grip on our food through nutraceuticals and unguents designed to stifle appetite. These products are the equivalent of proposing improved gunshot surgery to fix gang violence. ... read more »

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Posted on 17 August, 2007 - 09:40

From the Financial Times comes this bit of advice from Nicholas Sterns, author of one of the more respected (and moderate) reports on climate change. The short of it: biofuels are barmy. But pyromania is, precisely, a mania. The notion that burning things is the only route to fuel is one that leaves intact, much to the pleasure of the automobile and allied industries, the technologies of internal combustion. Serious thinking about climate change will have to move away from this, and quickly... ... read more »

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Posted on 20 June, 2007 - 20:09

The London Farmers Markets Association lists markets in

• Blackheath
• Clapham
• Ealing
• Finchley Road
• Islington
• Marylebone
• Notting Hill
• Peckham
• Pimlico Road
• Pinner
• Primrose Hill
• Queens Park
• Turnham Green
• Twickenham
• Wimbledon Park

  Opening hours, vendors and more at
  http://www.lfm.org.uk/

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  Ch. 10. Food Sovereignty | farmers markets | London

  
  Posted on 12 December, 2006 - 05:35

The New Economics Foundation is

an independent think-and-do tank that inspires and demonstrates real economic well-being.

They've got some great analysis about the negative impact of supermarkets in Britain and, more importantly, some fine research on why local markets are better for the economy, have more choice, and are more racially diverse.

More at
http://www.neweconomics.org/

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Posted on 1 December, 2006 - 10:14