Produce advocates say there’s more land for golf than farms in the UK and that must change
Nature-friendly groups and celebrities say the government must stop relying on food imports and double the land used to grow fruits and vegetables. The open letter, coordinated by the agriculture-focused charity Soil Association, asks the Prime Minister to back and scale up horticulture sector. Chefs, influencers, and local celebrities like Sinead Fenton and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall […]
Where does bold, mouth-watering flavour come from? It starts with seeds and breeders
For this column, we are going to go off menu a bit because ironically, flavor does not start on the menu. Or in the kitchen. Or at the distributor. Or even in the field. Flavour starts with the development of a seed. Development, growing, testing, tasting. Re-developing, growing, testing, re-tasting. But I am getting ahead […]
Tesco survey: Nearly 50% of households are making vegetables a bigger part of their diets
According to a new survey released by OnePoll on behalf Tesco, nearly half of 2,000 British respondents say they are eating more vegetables than they did five years ago. As part of the push to honour and help promote Veganuary, Tesco officials say they are working hard to help UK consumers stick to healthier diets […]
Study: Regenerative cultivation could unlock key to soil health, preserving nutrients
Though still early, a recent study being conducted at the University of Leeds Farm is showing the steep potential and benefits of regenerative cultivation techniques over invasive ploughing. The study compares soil health, crop production, greenhouse gas emissions, and profit of different farming systems across seven 12m x 40m plots. Some of the plots were […]
Jim Prevor: A Profile in Courage
In 2022, Primus Group Inc. and I lost a great friend, James Prevor [Jim]. The phrase “speak truth to power” is attributed to the Quakers. It implies a level of bravery that requires “risking either the status quo, one’s reputation or livelihood, or the wrath of the person one is confronting.” Jim regularly “spoke truth […]
Vertical farming in UK could get huge boost with investment in Harvest London
There is almost no comparison when it comes to the efficiencies of vertical farming vs. standard farming. From renewable energy to markedly less water use to lack of pesticides, vertical farming can have marked advantages. If there is one potential drawback, it might be scalability. But the need to develop more sustainable methods are growing, […]
Grocery price inflation in UK tops 17%, stunning even Kantar analysts
Just when it seemed British supermarket consumers were making slight gains against inflation, new data released by Kantar Worldpanel shows they are not. In fact, their positions are worse than ever. Kantar revealed that in the month leading up to 19th February, grocery price inflation soared to a staggering 17.1%, the largest its analysts say […]
Can new Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign rescue falling vegetable sales? Yes, say advocates.
The highly successful Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign recently launched for a fifth consecutive year and with newfound purpose. The large team led by Veg Power, ITV and others are attempting to reverse a trend that saw vegetable sales drop 9% in the UK from 2021 to 2022. The staggering decline, fueled by what […]
