Food matters

In 2014, the value of world food exports was US$1,486 billion, according to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) trade statistics, 2015. Add the value of the rest of the food economy, from individual farming to restaurants and food shops and the figure becomes monumental. It is a very complex and dynamic industry that is continually changing and it underpins our society and our personal welfare. Although food and agriculture register low down on our GDP figures, I would guess that a high percentage of what our households spend goes on food and beverages, making it a critical industry. Yet how much do we know or understand about our food industry?

The crisis in the proper administration and management of national state health systems forces us take on personal responsibility for our wellbeing, making us more mindful of preventative measures and keen to avoid the onset of illness. More of us believe we are what we eat, which is leading to new consumer centric food economies everywhere, including in TT. Our ability to search the worldwide net to learn about food and its preparation, about its nutritional value and its production, and to buy what we want (healthy and unhealthy) almost at all times in our fast growing urban areas, added to more widespread home deliveries, the introduction of new eating styles, the penchant for restaurant dining, the success of street foods, along with the demand for high quality organically grown foods that are increasingly available in new farmers’ markets present endless possibilities for investment and food production development.

In TT, this is all happening against periodic crises such as floods wiping out vegetable crops that probably have been dangerously over-sprayed with pesticides and other toxic chemicals.

The urbanisation of rural areas once dedicated to agriculture, the harmful pollution of our waterways and seas, the decline in our fish stocks, the unhealthy feeding of farmed poultry, the loss of forest habitat for wildlife, together with our wilful ignorance in the face of it all make food security a matter worthy of greater prominence in the national debate.

And so, should the media not be playing a more investigative and instructive role in bringing our attention to the important issues, and knowledge to our eating-out experiences? The Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries agreed with the Bocas Lit Fest that the level of public discourse about food matters needs improving and the two partnered in the running of a three-part workshop for local food writers.

They see how the media could provide the bridge between government, academia, growers, retailers and consumers, and needs nurturing if it is to fulfil its role in promoting food security and keeping the subject in the public eye.President Anthony Carmona’s weekend address to the nation may have gone off beam but our media houses do often miss the mark. Our broadcast media, particularly, hopelessly squander their power to help set the national agenda, to inform government policy and educate society on the many aspects of that vital thing: food and its production.

There is endless room for creative programming that communicates all the exciting developments in the industry — in what we eat, who is providing it, and how. Fortunately, social media has made blogging possible and it is online where we might begin to look for that necessary coordination of the various players and stakeholders and the mining of the enorm o u s l y rich world of food.