It is no secret that the British love Indian food. So much so that they may soon start farming curry ingredients, domestically.
To enable the agriculture sector to operate more sustainably in the future, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, or Defra, has decided that it will do its part to improve the food system in the UK.
This move is based on The Green Project report, which says that major changes should be undertaken in agriculture, food processing and retailing, if the natural environment is to be preserved.
The report encouraged several environmentalists, government officials, and so on, to examine the British food system. They realized that with curry being such a popular dish, growing its ingredients locally would not only lead to less expenditure on imports, it would also reduce the carbon emissions from said food imports. The ingredients of curry also cover many important food groups.
The Green Project report found that producing food as we have been doing is no longer an option. New ways to produce food, without causing damage to the environment must be found, it says.
Jim Paice, farming minister, does not want to set "Soviet style targets" goals. He admits that there is a "need for a culture change across the entire food chain and this is the first step in a long-term plan to make that happen."
But, Mark Driscoll of WWF-UK is of the opinion that goals and targets need to be set to achieve any kind of improvement in the food sector. "The next steps of this project are crucial if we are to move from some great words to action. We therefore need to look at key milestones and targets for the project under each of the recommendations - you can't measure success or project progress unless this happens."
