Today's food sector is much like the former tobacco industry. Seventy per cent of supermarket food is “ultra-processed”, addictive and sickening. At the same time, farmers are also struggling. They are stuck in the grip of economies of scale and multinationals, and climate disruption is causing crops to fail with increasing frequency. To sum up: if we view food purely as a commodity, everyone loses.
How do you get out of such a negative spiral as a society?
In his new book 'Zorgen om eten', author Dirk Holemans shows, from both systems thinking and personal experience, how we can ensure a healthy food supply for everyone. Radically caring for eaters, farmers and the living environment leads to a virtuous spiral full of resilience. It replaces streets full of energy-guzzling fridges with short-chain initiatives. The latter is much needed. Because with a food transition, you give both climate and your health a huge boost.
We talk to Dirk Holemans, and let various voices speak about our food. Among others, Fairouz Gazdallah (Food Systems Policy Advisor at Oxfam Belgium) and Tine Hens (historian and journalist focusing on the climate and biodiversity crisis) join us.
