A Strong and Sustainable Food Economy in Kirklees

Can Kirklees develop a Strong and Sustainable Food Economy? Today saw the launch of a new report outlining a way forward: click here for the full report:

Executive Summary

Kirklees Public Health Directorate commissioned the research on which this report is based. Between October 2014 and July 2015, fifteen interviews were conducted in Kirklees with key actors in the community food sector and the local authority. These interviews were complimented with five more at the national level.

The overall aim of the research was to provide evidence of how the current Kirklees food system contributes to the aim of making local people and the economy more resilient. The research had three main objectives:

· To explore the potential impact of local food on economic development.
· To examine possible frameworks for an independent Kirklees food partnership.
· To develop awareness and promote the significance of these issues.

A number of key findings emerge.

Key findings

1. Many community food enterprises exist in isolation and there is little to bind them together beyond small reciprocal exchanges.
2. The community food sector needs more support and Kirklees should focus on the many good things that are already happening across the borough.
3. Redefining what is meant by ‘local food’ would improve the effectiveness of local supply chains and enable better procurement.
4. Better local procurement and sourcing would enable local producers and entrepreneurs to make a more effective contribution to the local economy.
5. A system of local/ sub regional food hubs is already in place across Kirklees comprised of community retailers, farms shops and schools.
6. There is a wide support for the development of an independent Kirklees food partnership and central food hub to coordinate these initiatives more effectively.
7. The Brighton and Hove partnership provides a good model for Kirklees to follow, but the right people must be involved from the outset if any new approach is to be successful.
8. Any new agenda must ensure that all the diverse communities across Kirklees, deprived as well as affluent benefit from any new ways of working.
9. Better planning and public policies are needed if the joint Kirklees Health/Well-Being and Economic Strategies are to bring about outcomes that cut across different areas of service delivery.
10. More commitment and support for partnership working is needed across all sectors in West Yorkshire.

Five recommendations are made.

Recommendations

1. Provide more support for the community food sector in Kirklees
2. Initiative better partnership working and collaboration across all sectors in West Yorkshire
3. Link the local food system with local supply chains to enhance local sourcing and procurement
4. Initiative better planning and policy to link the food system to population needs across different areas of service delivery more effectively.
5. Develop a local food partnership and food hub infrastructure to drive the food strategy to the next level.

Christmas, climate & (over) consumption - it's all getting a bit confusing

Watching the BBC news this Boxing Day morning I could not help wondering about the sustainability challenges we face.

First the weather. Another deluge from the skies for Cumbria and the North West as 'rare' red flood warnings are issued and threats to life are said to be imminent. Yet in southern England it's 'balmy' and they are selling Christmas pudding flavoured ice cream as people flock to the beach. A moment later we are discussing record online sales and the possibility of the same on Boxing day, with the usual images of shoppers spending billions on useless and soon to be disposed of items flashing across the screen. In the newspaper review we are informed that we can sell the UK for £8 trillion - imagine that? But that is exactly what we are doing to the planet - selling it down the river.

Notwithstanding the unsustainable production and consumption of Christmas trees, a UK Christmas style dinner is said to equate with 20kg of carbon dioxide, over half for the Turkey alone. Spending on other food items over the festive period - alongside travel, lighting and gifts - is estimated to result in as much as 650 kg of CO2 emissions per person. And now we've got our annual Christmas day meat fest out of the way, we embark on, or should I say continue our consumption frenzy into the new year at an unknown yet growing cost to the environment and our long term security.

People are optimistic after #COP21 and there are are signs of change. After decades of corporate greenwashing many big-brand companies are competing hard to be 'sustainability leaders'. By partnering with governments and NGOs, some businesses attain increased credibility and leverage and sustainbability benefits start to emerge. Yet the "big brand" takover of sustainability is failing to find deeper solutions to the environmental problems we face, many of which are created by runaway over consumption. As the BBC news lead Naga Munchetty suggested in her response to the declaration of the UK's estimated for-sale value, "hang on there a minute, it's all getting a bit confusing."

The Structural Invisibility of Outsiders: The Role of Migrant Labour in the Meat-Processing Industry

John Lever and Paul Milbourne (2015) Sociology, Open Access, published first on-line 23rd December 2015.

Abstract: This article examines the role of migrant workers in meat-processing factories in the UK. Drawing on materials from mixed methods research in a number of case study towns across Wales, we explore the structural and spatial processes that position migrant workers as outsiders. While state policy and immigration controls are often presented as a way of protecting migrant workers from work-based exploitation and ensuring jobs for British workers, our research highlights that the situation ‘on the ground’ is more complex. We argue that ‘self-exploitation’ among the migrant workforce is linked to the strategies of employers and the organisation of work, and that hyper-flexible work patterns have reinforced the spatial and social invisibilities of migrant workers in this sector. While this creates problems for migrant workers, we conclude that it is beneficial to supermarkets looking to supply consumers with the regular supply of cheap food to which they have become accustomed. Keywords: civilising process, invisibility, liminality, meat processing, migrant workers, outsiders, Wales.

Europe’s perennial "outsiders": A processual approach to Roma stigmatization and ghettoization

Ryan Powell and John Lever (2015) Current Sociology, published first on-line 27th July 2015

Abstract: This paper draws on the theoretical work of Norbert Elias and Loïc Wacquant in seeking to understand the stigmatized and marginalized position of the Roma population within Europe. The paper argues that the persistent persecution of Roma, reflected in social policy, cannot be understood without reference to long-term social processes, which shape the nature of the asymmetric power relations between Roma and non-Roma. Elias's theory of established-outsider relations is applied at the intra-state European level in arguing that Roma constitute a cross-border "outsider" group; with their intense stigmatization explained and perpetuated by a common set of collective fantasies which are maintained through complex group processes of disidentification, and which result in Roma being seen as of lesser human worth. Wacquant's theoretical concept of the "ghetto" is then drawn upon to show how the manifestations of stigmatization for the stigmatized are at once psychological, social and spatial. The paper suggests that the synthesis of the two theorists' relational, theoretical concepts allows for an approach that can expose the way in which power is exercised within and through group relations. Such an approach emphasizes the centrality of the interdependence between Roma and non-Roma, and the fluctuating power balance that characterises that relationship across time and space. The paper concludes that, while existing research focused on policy and outcomes is useful in understanding the negative contemporary experiences of Roma populations, they need to be understood in the context of wider social processes and historical continuities in seeking to elucidate how these processes shape policies and contribute to social and spatial marginalization. Key words: Roma; disidentification; stigmatization; marginalization; ghettoization; social integration; Norbert Elias; Loїc Wacquant.

Halal Matters: Islam, politics and markets in global perspective

Forthcoming from Routledge July 19th 2015 

Bergeaud-Blackler, F., Fischer, J. and Lever, J.

In today’s globalized world, halal (meaning ‘permissible’ or ‘lawful’) is about more than food. Politics, power and ethics all play a role in the halal industry in setting new standards for production, trade, consumption and regulation. The question of how modern halal markets are constituted is increasingly important and complex. Written from a unique interdisciplinary global perspective, this book demonstrates that as the market for halal products and services is expanding and standardizing, it is also fraught with political, social and economic contestation and difference. The discussion is illustrated by rich ethnographic case studies from a range of contexts, and consideration is given to both Muslim majority and minority societies. Halal Matters will be of interest to students and scholars working across the humanities and social sciences, including anthropology, sociology and religious studies.