Episode 25: Britain’s Broken Food System - Food Banks and the Impact of Junk Food

Put your thoughts into the mixIn this episode of the Wilson and Ashley Podcast, off the back of a great reel from Schöffel Country and The Country Food Trust, we talk about how game meat is being used to tackle food poverty in the UK. When you actually look at the numbers, food poverty is hard to ignore - millions of people in the UK are struggling to access enough food, there are now more food banks than McDonald's restaurants, and demand for emergency food is still rising. At the same time, we’ve got a growing deer population, not enough being culled, and huge amounts of nutritious, sustainable meat that could be used far better. When a relatively small number of deer can produce hundreds of thousands of meals, it feels like utilising this meat for those in need is a no brainer. We also touch on food waste and our own experience trying to get fresh produce into food banks, and how complicated it actually was. It all feeds into a bigger conversation around access to proper, nutritious food to fuel the body and the mind. In the second half, we talk about declining mental health and why we need to back our farmers as part of the solution. There’s a clear trend showing younger generations are struggling more, and while there’s no single cause, diet keeps coming up as part of the conversation — especially the rise in ultra-processed foods, even in products people think are healthy.It all links back to farming. If we’re producing less real, whole food in this country, what replaces it? And what does that mean not just for food security, but for long-term health?When you join it all up — food banks, malnutrition, game meat, ultra-processed diets and mental health — it keeps coming back to the same point. Good food is vital for the health of people and farmers are uniquely placed to provide it.Join our Listener Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1110531760649475/If you’ve got a story, an opinion, or an idea for an episode… Send us a DM or drop us a voice note — we want to include your thoughts in our conversation. Subscribe now and let’s get into it!@wilsonandashley@rebeccawilsonfarming@charlotteashleyfarmPowered by Ridgeline ClothingWhilst we endeavour to research podcast topics to the best of our ability, we cannot guarantee the accuracy and completeness of all conversations and as such, the podcast does not constitute professional advice.