Feeding Britain: Our Food Problems and How to Fix Them (Pelican Books)

by Tim Lang

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Book cover for Feeding Britain

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How does Britain get its food?
Why is our current system at breaking point?
How can we fix it before it is too late?


British food has changed remarkably in the last half century. As we have become wealthier and more discerning, our food has Europeanized (pizza is children's favourite food) and internationalized (we eat the world's cuisines), yet our food culture remains fragmented, a mix of mass 'ultra-processed' substances alongside food as varied and good as anywhere else on the planet.

This book takes stock of the UK food system: where it comes from, what we eat, its impact, fragilities and strengths. It is a book on the politics of food. It argues that the Brexit vote will force us to review our food system. Such an opportunity is sorely needed. After a brief frenzy of concern following the financial shock of 2008, the UK government has slumped once more into a vague hope that the food system will keep going on as before. Food, they said, just required a burst of agri-technology and more exports to pay for our massive imports.

Feeding Britain argues that this and other approaches are short-sighted, against the public interest, and possibly even strategic folly. Setting a new course for UK food is no easy task but it is a process, this book urges, that needs to begin now.

'Tim Lang has performed a public service' Simon Jenkins, Sunday Times

  • ISBN10 0241442222
  • ISBN13 9780241442227
  • Publish Date 26 March 2020
  • Publish Status Out of Print
  • Out of Print 15 April 2021
  • Publish Country GB
  • Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
  • Imprint Pelican