Proposals for the Implementation of Sustainable Food Systems in the U.K.

As food prices soar and the effects of climate change and environmental degradation become increasingly apparent there is a growing awareness that the ways in which we, in the United Kingdom, source our food are unsustainable. The search for viable alternatives to conventional methods of food appropriation is becoming ever-more urgent. This dissertation examines the factors involved in the current UK food system and the relationships between these factors. The dynamics of these relationships are assessed as are their contributions to the current problems which exist both within the UK and externally. It is proposed that food systems and the relationships which underline them are highly influential upon the character and development of society and should therefore have a key role in the strive for environmental sustainability. This essay offers recommendations of potential methods which could be employed not only to decrease the negative environmental impacts of the British food system, but to enhance community relations, standards of living and social equity.