Does it matter where our food comes from?
On Tuesday 21 February, Elizabeth Clark, National Rural Officer for the Methodist and United Reformed Churches, attended the 2017 City Food Lecture at London’s Guildhall. She said of her experience:
‘This year’s lecture asked the question, ‘Does it matter where our food comes from?’ For me the answer is a resounding yes! We produce great food in this country to extremely high standards, and we should be proud of that.
‘And yet the reality is that the UK is a net importer of food, a situation that could lead to problems in the future; climate change and the increased buying power of emerging economies both pose significant threats to our food supply.
‘There are also a number of ethical issues, including animal welfare and child slavery, that impact the conversation around food production and consumption, and the church has much to contribute.’
For Elizabeth, the presence of Germinate: The Arthur Rank Centre at events like this is key to giving the church a voice in a debate about food production and consumption that can often appear to be limited to those in agriculture, food manufacturing and policy-making.