alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Here's a turn-up for the books: rising food prices AREN'T down to the government pushing fuel prices up with excess taxation, nor are they to do with the government encouraging people to borrow too much, resulting in an unstable credit market.

No.......apparently, rising food prices are OUR fault because we waste too much.

Does anyone think this guy will EVER stand up to be counted? Spineless liar doesn't even START to describe him

Alcazar

FlightMan

Apparently we should all be eating left overs.

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

what like that weird religious family that were on wifeswap a few months ago

gordon brown =

SunnySideUp

The Government haven't pushed up fuel prises with taxes? Indeed, they have delayed any tax increase for well over 12 months.

That's not the same as saying they couldn't reduce it if they desired.

The world credit crunch also isn't the governments fault, unless I missed the part where NL started lending to the US Sub-Prime Mortgage market?

It's the global issues which are making it rough for most of us - granted - NL should have saved for the rainy day which is now (but, how many governments save? Not many!! Saving so that the next lot in can spend it and look good? Nah - doesn't work like that)

The current lot look tired and bereft of ideas, granted ... but to slaughter them for suggesting we try to not waste food is bonkers!

mykp

politicians dont live in the real world, never have done, doubtful they ever will do.

Henrik

iTrader: (5)

They should have ensured the FSA regulated the MBS (et al) markets properly, then we wouldn't be in such a big mess.

PeteBrant

The FSA couldn;t have done anything could they?

There was nothing "untoward" that caused the credit crunch, it was all above board. The problem was that people assumed that the small sub-prime market default rate of less than 1% would apply to a very large sub-prime market, and it didn't.

Of course when the loans were repackaged, the FSA wouldn't have known any better than the banks that the investments they were buying would have exposure to the sub-prime market, because at the point of investment, it was all mixed in together.

The Chief

Totally agree Mike.

They are so far out of touch with people its untrue.
Being in the privileged positions and feathering their own nests with taxpayers money has detached them somewhat from the job in hand.

Most MPs imo now are only in it for the money and privileges that come with it. If they had to go back into the private sector and had to work for a living most wouldn't know what had hit them.

Leslie

Did it not occur to you that they are enjoying a massive windfall from the increase in VAT on the inreased cost of fuel and also from the sales of our oil.

So you are advocating that during the good times that all the money should be pissed against the wall by the government to make them look good and to hell with the inevitable recession that always comes and then they can just borrow their way through so that we have to pay it all back in the future. Better even than that is to flog off half the nation's gold reserves to keep them going even if it is at the lowest possible price!

Are you going to be a good member of the party and volunteer to stand for Labour in that Scottish by election. No one else wants to be embarrassed by the low vote that they are likely to get. They are running for cover!

Les

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

We and China are gobbling up the oil faster than the Arab nations can pump it out. But, they could up production and we'll run out quicker. They will be fecking minted and we'll be bankrupt! Organic food oil production is diverting us away from producing real food.

Our ability to over consume/buy is "our/me/your" fault not the governments. We are turning into overweight fat knackers and our kids may die before us! Does anyone force you to put a Fat McD in your mouth or buy a hugh loaf of bread when you only eat half?

Goro does not talk much sense but this time there is a little bit of truth. One day we will reap what we sow.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

We do waste too much, or at least a lot of us do.

Food binned because its a day out of date, binning stuff as we dont fancy it again, eating a bit and binning the rest, Fruit turning mouldy in the bowl, I say this as it happens in my house and it drives me mad, I work and pay for that food and if it isnt eaten its my wages going straight in the bin.

With a bit more planning, us being less fussy and storing stuff properly there should be no food waste other than peelings and inedible parts like fat, gristle and stalks.

I saw a program a while back, a family who were skint and living on credit cards, spending £250 a week on shopping for 4 people, they were binning half of it and then moaning about why they were skint, durr, 5 quid ready meals * 4 binned as they were a day over and they got a Chinese delivered instead ffs.

I think the current economic climate is forcing some people to adapt and some to bitch and moan because things are changing and they want to continue as they were.

Every time you bin something, it goes to landfill, its potential for feeding you unused, which to me is much worse than just binning the packet, I am no eco nutter but this is not sutainable, we buy too much, we eat to much, we waste too much. Ok, you may be able to afford it, I can but it doesnt mean it is right, no one is expecting anyone to eat like Ray Mears but a bruised apple will not kill you, a Banana thats a bit brown wont either, even chicken thats gone a bit over is fine if you nail it properly.

So Brown gets many things wrong but he has a point here.

speedking

But how long until the government introduces some sort of control measure?

Price is determined by the market. If someone chooses to buy more than they need and throw it in the bin then that's up to them. I prefer to eat broccoli stalks and use the money saved for petrol, but that's my choice.

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

Price is determined by the availablity of the raw material.

Very few raw materials are freely available and require some form of mechanical device to get it to us!

Raw materials are just that, raw, and need converting into a produce. If it is not available we look for alternative materials or sources. If there ain't much of it it becomes expensive.

speedking

Butter mountains, wine lakes etc. didn't lead to reduced prices. While farmers are leaving land uncultivated because it is not economically viable to grow anything, and slaughtering young animals because the eventual market price will be less than the cost of rearing them, there is room to grow the supply side of the equation.

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

Oil price shock means China is at risk of blowing up - Telegraph

Ooops. The Panda may be slowing down.

Norman D. Landing

Hardly surprising, it just had twins!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

That is a very selfish way to put it, I see what you mean but I think, personally that wasting food and energy for the sake of laziness is irresponsible, inevitably there will always be waste but we need to minimize it.

Wastage benefits nobody, generates landfill, wastes the energy for production, transportation and the resources to earn the means to pay for it, ok, currently in this country we have plenty, ok things are a little tighter but we can still afford more food than we need but remember 60 years ago we were at war and many were in a constant state of near starvation, this is the case in many places all around the world right now. Anyway, why give Tesco's any more money than you need to.

I am reasonably well off, more than most (Ok, perhaps not high rollers like NACRO) but I don't think I should waste things for the sake of it just because I can, I like efficiency and good value, thats part of the reason I don't owe anyone, banks or anyone else a single penny.


Just requires a bit of thought, its not hard.

Leslie

I wonder if Nacro really is as high a roller as he tells us all the time!

I agree with all that about unecessary waste. I remember the days when there was not any excess of food about and we learned to make it all count rather than throw it away. These days it is surely easy enough to plan your buying such that you just don't need to throw very much away anyway. We do that and it saves a lot of cash which can be put to better use too.

I still object to being told what to do by the chief wastrel though.

Les

speedking

Les, so you believe in state control of what people can spend their money on?

I think that people that use tumble driers, people that use human food to feed their dog, people that drive a mile to the shops when they could walk, people that spray champagne off a podium, etc., etc., are all wasting money.

Where will it stop? People should be allowed to spend their money how they wish. If they can't be bothered to draw up a menu plan and shop efficiently they should be encouraged to do otherwise, but not dictated to.

Leslie

I really don't understand why you have just accused me of that. I have said nothing of the sort as you will see if you read my post again.

Like J4CKO I said that it really is better not to waste food unecessarily and that it can be avoided with a bit of planning. Bristol City collects 80 tons a day in their specific food waste collection. Much of it is still edible. You tell me-is it better to waste it or to be more careful? I was merely making the point to agree with J4CKO. You say yourself how money and energy is being wasted.

Try reading my last sentence again, did that encourage any form of State control?

It is worth reading posts more carefully before you jump in with both feet.

Les

OllyK

Only if there is a demand for them. If there's no demand, there's no point supplying it.

speedking

Precisely. There's loads of nettles round our way, but you still don't see them on the shelves at Tesco

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Sorry Les, didn't want to fall out, I thought I'd only jumped in with one foot, but re-reading the posts I do seem a bit extreme.

All I'm trying to say is that one man's waste is another man's normal activity. IMO it's not the governments place to decide what is considered to be wasteful.

I know someone who buys two meals "just in case" then throws one away when he decides to eat out. Is that any worse than someone spending £25 a month on a mobile phone contract when a PAYG with £25 annual topup would do the same job?

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Food, like glass, is a resource. A culture change is required to encourage less waste, in the same way that people now recycle glass. I always feel guilty throwing a can in the bin at work because there is no recycling facility.