Supermarkets weep

These shapely carrots are the result of several long months of allotment-based toil by my friend Lizzie. Aren't they pretty? In the last few weeks we've had a flurry of vegetable goodness and lovingly prepared home-made treats, including a small production of marmalade and enough potatoes to sink a ship.

Which brings me to my exciting link. Have you seen this new documentary about The People's Supermarket ? If not, you can watch it on 4oD here. It's very good. My friend helped make it.

This, the first in 4 episodes, is an eyes-wide open report on food waste by high street supermarkets. Thousands of tonnes of food, binned. Everyday. Food that hasn't been sold, unwanted, but still perfectly good to eat.

What's thrown out - is enough to feed over a million people.

The People's Supermarket has a different approach, helping farmers get the right price, reducing food waste, and doing more for the community. But it's surely just the tip of the iceberg.

Almost 15% of the world's population are under-nourished, and certain parts of the world, notably the Sahel region in West Africa, are prone to severe droughts and food shortage. To the degree that the term 'hunger gap' describes the period of time between harvests. No food. For months. It's shocking food rich countries can't do more to rebalance the distribution.

However I have to realise my own part in this as well. Our global marketplace means that I'm much more closely linked to the banana supplier in the Windward islands, the orange grower in Spain, or the dairy farmer in Kent than I realise. My decisions affect them. This isn't an easy economy to make 'ethical' decisions in, especially when it's a case of choosing to spend more money on similar goods. But what I have realised from this programme is my dependence on food suppliers, whether they're in the next county, or in a different time zone on the other side of the world. I must treat them as I would want to be treated. As my neighbour.

The last 2 years have seen poor harvests for West Africa. If you want to know more, read this.


And if you've got some leftovers in your fridge that you don't know what to do with, before you chuck 'em, have a look on http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes for some recipes.