Catholic groups feature in Food Issues report

NJPN Conference debate on food, chaired by John Vidal

At a time when global and national food prices are high and volatile, Catholic groups have participated in a major census on Food and Farming, whose report was launched in London on Tuesday. The National Justice and Peace Network (NJPN), Progressio and Catholic Concern for Animals had submitted information on their Food work for ‘The Food Issues Census, A Survey of UK Civil Society, 2011’. Other Christian groups among around 300 contributors included the Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group and A Rocha UK.

Members of NJPN’s Environment Working Group attended the launch and heard Tom McMillan, head of the Food Ethics Council, report that a “staggering amount of work is going on, with groups working on local and sustainable food and on the links between environment and health”. The findings suggested, however, that few organisations were working on advocacy to challenge the prevailing industrial model of agriculture, mainly due to funding restrictions. Rosie Boycott, “food champion” of London mayor Boris Johnson, said that “without a doubt, people are waking up” to food issues. She deplored the growth of fast food and that so much of the food industry is in the hands of the private sector. The report revealed that the ‘Food’ sector is particularly at risk from public spending cuts.

More than 400 people attended NJPN’s Conference, ‘Our Daily Bread: Food Security, People and Planet’ in July 2010. The conference explored the food system and new initiatives to help individuals and groups reconnect to sustainable agriculture and food. In a session chaired by Catholic MP John Battle, Elizabeth Dowler, a director of the Food Ethics Council, said, "the world comes to us in the UK on a plate but at huge environmental cost to the planet and we have cheap food here because other people are paying the price". Over the past year, Justice and Peace diocesan workers have organised ‘Food’ days, supported the Soil Association’s ‘GM NO!’ campaign, and promoted the LOAF principles for food sourcing, that is food which is Locally produced, Organically grown, Animal friendly and Fairly traded.

In the gallery of photos on the website – www.foodissuescensus.org - there is a photo of the NJPN Conference debate on food, chaired by John Vidal, ‘The Guardian’ Environment Correspondent, and including India’s Vandana Shiva, an internationally renowned critic of industrial agriculture. Another photo shows Elizabeth Dowler speaking on ‘real food needs’ at the conference. Progressio’s promotion of sustainable farming in Malawi is also highlighted in the gallery.

NJPN’s next annual conference – 15-17 July 2011 – takes the theme, ‘Justice at Work – A place of safety, fulfilment and growth?’ Further details at www.justice-and-peace.org.uk