The Raw Chef Blog

Bad Food Britain: Why we’re addicted to rubbish

The statistics are shocking. In a nutshell, Britain eats about 50% of all the junk eaten in Europe. The average Briton, for example, swallows 7.2 kilogrammes of savoury snacks (crisp-type products) a year, while the typical Italian manages just one kilogramme. British children now consume 25 times more confectionery and 30 times more soft drinks than they did in 1950. Our taste for over-packaged, added-value, factory food bearing an uncanny resemblance to airline meals has also spiralled out of control. By 2003, we ate more ready meals than the rest of Europe put together.

That’s an excerpt from an article in Scotland’s Sunday Herald revealing some shocking statistics about the way we eat in the UK.  The article then goes on to explain how we in the UK are viewed as far as our culinary attitudes go.  It’s a great read and I had no idea these issues were such a problem!  You never know when your own breath smells but everyone else does and it comes as a shock when someone tells you!

Given that we are seen to be a nation of people with such, "bad food" habits, what could be the future?  As the article explains…

(more…)

Popularity: 2% [?]

Did you see the interview of McDonalds UK front man - Steve Easterbrook, on Newsnight this week?  And who did they have in the studio to ask him questions?  None other than the author of Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser.  Mr Schlosser has been waiting years for this opportunity and he doesn’t disappoint.  Full marks to Steve Easterbrook though, despite what I consider to be some very ‘off the mark’ opinions, you have to give him credit for accepting the invitation to face these questions.

One of my favourite quotes from Easterbrook:

"Everyone likes a burger now and then and I think that’s fine"

Oh really?

Apparently McDonalds has been given an RSPCA award for animal welfare!!! Er, sorry? :-0  Don’t you turn these animals into slabs of meat and nuggets?  How is that animal welfare?  If someone were to treat their dog, cat or rabbit (for example) really well and then kill it for a summer BBQ, would they be given a similar award?  I think McDoanlds & animal welfare could be considered an oxymoron.

Anyway, enough of my views…The video can be found on this page!

Popularity: 2% [?]