Category Archives: food on the move

Food in books: mapping the world’s food

By Nick Saltmarsh | Published: May 19, 2009

Every day, the world’s food system has 6.5 billion mouths to feed. It’s humanity’s single biggest undertaking: 1.3 billion farm-workers work 4.9 billion HA to produce 356 kg of grain each year for every person alive. Still the system isn’t working: “2 billion people suffer from chronic under-nutrition and 18 million die each year from hunger-related diseases”. Understanding the world’s food system better is essential if we’re to face move towards a more equitable and sustainable way of feeding ourselves. Tim Lang and Erik Millstone’s updated edition of The Atlas of Food in an invaluable guide to the complexities and scale of world food.

Also posted in food in books, food matters, food production | Tagged books, food system, mapping, tim lang | Leave a comment

Mysterious sheds at the heart of our food supply

By Nick Saltmarsh | Published: February 12, 2009

We barely notice them but these giant sheds have played a pivotal role in the journey of our food since the major retailers started taking greater control of the food supply chain in the 1970s. Most of the food we eat will have passed through a regional distribution centre (RDC) on its way to our plates. Almost all supermarket food (80% of the food we eat at home), and much sold by independent retailers too, is supplied via RDCs: trucked in from the producers, packhouses and manufacturers; briefly stored (warehouse time and space is money); then trucked out again on the supermarkets’ dedicated fleets.

Also posted in features | Tagged distribution, food in the shops, logistics, supermarkets | 2 Comments

UK apple exports up… but still less than orange exports

By Nick Saltmarsh | Published: September 1, 2008

Britain exports more oranges than apples. Defra’s figures for the import and export of food reveal some surprising British exports, not just of oranges but also tea, coffee, lemons etc.

Also posted in food from where? | Tagged apples, defra, food, fruit, global, import, trade, UK | Leave a comment

The secret journey of food: inside a supermarket distribution centre

By Nick Saltmarsh | Published: August 11, 2008

The distribution and infrastructure of food, including rare look inside a supermarket distribution centre, part of the endless complex movement of goods.