A History of Food Waste and Preservation

The Delicious Legacy

Hello!

Today I have the pleasure to interview historian Dr Eleanor Barnett about her new book, "Leftovers".

The interview was conducted in January, in anticipation of her new book which is coming out on Thursday 14th of March, as a hardback from Head of Zeus.

Preservation of food, and waste management isn't a new problem for our globalized societies. It's part of humankind's story from very early on.

On this episode Dr. Eleanor Barnett will talk about the past 600 years -give or take- and what happened in Britain specifically from Tudor era until today- with an eye looking into our future!

Why food was wasted in the past? How it was wasted? And what did they do with all the food waste that they created?

In times of abundance it's easy to forget how tough can be to feed one's family and self. In the past when harvest failed, prices rose, riots followed; when unscrupulous merchants tried to sell the produce unfairly or abroad, mobs descented and took the wheat or cheese for themselves. Yet now we throw away seemingly an endless supply of perfectly good to eat food.

46% of UK waste is from households and hospitality today. Agriculture and farming for 28%, food processing and manufacturing for 17%, and food distribution for 9%. This equates to 9.5 million tonnes every single year. Globally 14% is lost between harvest and retail, and 11% in households.

So let's take a deep dive in the past and find out more!

Dr Eleanor Barnett posts on instagram as @historyeats and here's her website:

https://www.eleanorbarnett.com/

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