The Future of Food (in UK)

[katilea]

Given that alot of food is imported into the UK how do people think Brexit will affect food imports?

Will food just get more expensive or will imports be affected so much there's a shortage of food in the future? Maybe rationed like in the war?

I noticed lamb is getting really expensive, when I did food shopping I couldn't find any pack of lamb under £5 even for a small amount. Ended up getting a few packs/boxes of Quorn items cos they were on special (3 items for £5) so choosing stuff that had several items in the pack.. (quorn chicken nuggets, mince that makes several batches of chilli/spag bol etc ) I was able to get stuff to cover alot more meals for that fiver. I'm wondering if other meats are going to go the same way with prices so high, so those of us on a more limited income simply can't afford to buy it?

[shocker]

Overheads for meatstock farmers are outrageous these days, but they are not getting more for their stock. So the price rises are coming from elsewhere in the chain, that much I do know.

No one but industrial scale food producers apparently benefit from EU subsidies now, either. How this is going to pan out, no one seems to know but the farmers I talk to, in and outside of family, seem to feel it cannot get any worse out of the common agricultural policy. Which has been anything but common, thus far

[katilea]

I read somewhere about running out of sheep/lambs for meat but can't find the link I originally saw. Maybe as you say with less farmers and existing one's turning to crops rather than animals there will be less meat available in the future and what is available will be very expensive?

Seems people may be forced to be vegetarian in the future simply because they can't afford to buy meat! There is also a growing population of vegans trying to influence people to not only stop eating meat but stop eating any animal product (including milk, cheese, eggs etc) so the demand is growing for products such as as milks made from other sources, almond, rice, oats, etc and maybe lessening for cows milk, meaning farmers will also get less for any milk they produce.

Whilst I don't mind having some meals that don't include meat (for health or diet reasons of my own choice) I don't think it's fair to force people into a lifestyle simply by taking away all their options and making the product so expensive only the more well off people can afford to eat the limited supply that remains.

Still I feel in the future things like meat and eggs will be expensive and harder to obtain and also fuel sources again cost forcing people to change (the diesel tax) .. how many people who got diesel cars will now be trying to sell them and change to petrol? Isn't diesel oil used in things like generators? ..for those of us preppers who have a generator for power cuts?

coal and wood are not seen as eco friendly to be burning alot in the event of powercuts so how will we cook our limited food supplies in a future of economic downfall, freezing temps (if this mini ice age also comes along whilst fuel runs out!)

What foods would people be stocking up on and how would you plan to cook them?

[grenfell]

On another forum I use one of the posters lives in Greece and spoke of life there and their recent economic problems. One thing she said was how people had cut down on gas and electricity use and had switched to wood. The downside was that areas were in effect raided and denuded of trees. Watch a documentary about WW2 and you'll see similar footage of people descending on any tree and reducing it to firewood. Ultimately it would cause a problem for all of us no one can really store a years supply of gas or petrol and even a years supply of wood is difficult for most. We could perhaps eek it out a little by using solar ovens and even black painted radiators to heat water in the summer but in the winter when hot meals are needed more I can't see that helping .
As to meat getting more expensive then I think that's a given and if (or rather as ) the population keeps climbing then a diet lower in animal products will become more common , after all the yield in terms of calories is greater from arable than it is from meat. It won't disappear completely of course as not all land is suitable for arable use something like a 1/4 to a 1/3 of all farmland in the UK is mountainous or marginal and inaccessible to machinery and is suitable only for grazing.

[Panther]

If we'd stayed in the EU food prices would have gone up. Now we're leaving the EU food prices will go up! One thing is a certainty in life, food prices will continue to rise, (along with everything else).

Yes, if the Worlds population continues to rise there will be food shortages. It will hit the poorer countries first --- correction --- it's already hitting poorer countries. Then of course the poorest in western countries will suffer shortages and be rationed. "Oh, stop press, that's already happening, hence the need for food banks here and in the USA." So, yes there will be rationing by dint of what you can or cannot afford to buy.

If of course conflict in the world were to escalate, government might need to introduce national rationing again as it is patently clear the UK is unable to be self-sufficient. It's lucky we live in such peaceful times where conflicts are so few and far between. If serious conflict were to occur food supplies from abroad could well be disrupted.
Obviously there's nothing to worry about, nothing much is going to happen, .... is it? .... Of course there's Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Chinese intentions in the South China Sea, North Korea's missile program, Russia's involvement in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, troop build ups in the Baltic states, civil war in several African countries, China's hopes of re-taking Taiwan.

I think I'll increase my stocks, just in case

[Bearded Prepper]

As per what has already been mentioned food prices would have risen regardless, the Food corporations would have just used Brexit either successful or failed for an excuse they could hide price hikes in.

The silver lining now, however, is that the increased price for importing foods will mean that local produce will a much closer margin between the price difference and easier to source. Most of our money will be going back into the local farming community, over time it will have a positive effect, perhaps not on price but most defiantly on quality as the food will be fresher for not having to travel and the farmers better supplied with the increased demand. I'd rather eat seasonally and eat the freshest you can buy than buys strawberries from south of France because they are a few weeks out of season in the UK.

This will encourage investment in British produce, which is something sorely needed, you'd think we'd learn from WWII when even the hedges had to be dug to grow crops, now the population far outstretches the means for the UK to support itself while this won't fix that, it will certainly assist.

[jansman]

Land is getting scarcer,and farmers are getting older.Where I live three older farmers ( over whose land I have shot and fished since I was a lad) have wrapped it.None of them have children interested in farming.( I know that amongst them one is a pilot,one a doctor and one an IT expert).Their combined land is going to take a thousand houses! Ain't a village no more.

The horticultural sector relies on migrant labour,and already have said it may mean packing up or moving abroad.The plain fact is that UK nationals don't want seasonal/cold/dirty work.They want a 40 hour week with holidays and pensions etc.

My own industry ( meat) relies VERY heavily on migrant butchers in the slaughter and processing sector.One local slaughterhouse/factory employs so many Polish workers that it is the first language in the workplace! The Poles do the work,because apart from blokes my age who have strong backs and weak minds nobody else will do it. Kids don't want cold,shitty dirty,physically punishing work.Who can blame them?

We import ( I believe) about 40% of our food ,the figure varies.The fact is we are NOT self sufficient.World War 2 is often cited when it comes to this subject.We were not self sufficient then.Sure,we 'Dug For Victory' but without Government micro management,strict laws about waste and the help of the Americans,we were stuffed.The population lived on a largely vegetarian diet too.

I personally believe we will have to move to an increasingly vegetarian diet,both nationally and globally,as population puts pressure on the availability of arable land. As has been mentioned,meat production is terribly inefficient compared to arable farming.However we look at it,food will become more expensive in my opinion.

The Cubans had to deal with massive food shortages when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990/91 and coped admirably,although they lost a lot of weight as a nation.They too,went largely vegetarian.

Now I am not suggesting that we will starve post Brexit! However,the world is going to look at us and ( with a combination of trade tariffs and price gouging) and they are going to shaft us good and proper.We have customers come to us when they are let down by their ( cheaper) suppliers.We call it 'Doormatting'.We make them pay big time because they are in the sh#t.The rest of the world will doormat us I am sure.

http://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/issue/uk.html

[katilea]

Interesting.. I looked at the Christian website about long life food and in the first table it lists wheat and white rice for lasting 30yrs + , then further down it lists dry foods not suitable for long term storage and again lists flour whole wheat and brown rice??? ..so what kind of wheat are they referring to in the first table?? the raw product before it's made into anything (flour, cereals etc) ..and how come white rice lasts 30 + yrs but brown rice doesn't??

Even if the country still has 'enough food' but just gets more expensive it will leave many people and families struggling to afford enough food to feed themselves with the benefits cap and other cuts. I have still yet to go through the transfer from DLA to PIP with no idea whether I'll get the same amount or much less or any. DLA is my largest amount of income and is now being used to cover bedroom tax, council tax (I previously didn't have to pay anything) the gardens through the summer (as its part of the housing contract to keep the gardens neat and tidy) as well as trying to use it to save up for mobility equipment, new batteries etc when needed. The ESA alone will not be enough to cover all my bills and food if they score me 0 points for PIP and I don't get anything, so it is a worry.

[junmist]

In days gone by meat was a luxury for the working classes, it was only with better wages that meat became an everyday thing I can remember having Monday left overs Tuesday egg and chips Wednesday meat (normally mince as it was a cheap and could go a long way) Thursday cheese and potato pie. Friday chip shop Saturday what ever we had in the fridge Sunday roast but that was depending on the out goings that week, many a week we would have egg and chips twice. Not that I noticed much in those days food was on the table and we ate it But my poor mother had a a family of fussy eaters and that included herself.

[shocker]

Even if the country still has 'enough food' but just gets more expensive it will leave many people and families struggling to afford enough food to feed themselves with the benefits cap and other cuts. I have still yet to go through the transfer from DLA to PIP with no idea whether I'll get the same amount or much less or any. DLA is my largest amount of income and is now being used to cover bedroom tax, council tax (I previously didn't have to pay anything) the gardens through the summer (as its part of the housing contract to keep the gardens neat and tidy) as well as trying to use it to save up for mobility equipment, new batteries etc when needed. The ESA alone will not be enough to cover all my bills and food if they score me 0 points for PIP and I don't get anything, so it is a worry.

I feel for you, theres a few of us on here in the same position. Pay the taxes or eat ? Some days, we dont. Eat that is.