³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

There has been much discussion of this issue over the weekend on our messageboard at /dna/mbfood/NF2670471

Please continue to share your views and in the meantime, here are some highlights:

londonbarleysugar: This is certainly an interesting blog and one that may stir a heated debate. There are so many reasons for the food choices we make of which cost is only one part - availability, know-how, habit, culture, values and personal preferences also come into it. I would be surprised if people who had previously eaten a healthy diet with fruit and vegetables, would change to a high starch diet due to food prices rising, as the writer seems to suggest. I take a more optimistic view that most would fall into the category of making better use of ingredients.

joanbunting: I think i may be about to be shot down in flames, but......I agree with a lot of Stefan's points, but when I was in a position, a few years ago, to work with some of the poorest families there were thre main factors: 1) Lack of even the most basic cooking skills, not the fault of the people in question but prefectly solveable in schools, community groups etc. This one I could do. 2) Shortage of even basic fresh ingredients or things like cheap flour etc - too far from out of town supermarkets or city centre markets, and only close to very expensive local shops. 3) Too much money spent on smoking - again understandable in a way, if a fag is your only pleasure in life.

Capt-Lightning: Tend to agree with most of what you say, though I'd say that most of the problem is down to the lack of culinary skills. I'll not say cooking skills, because I think it extends to the knowledge of ingredients, nutrition etc... It reminds me of an incident some years ago when I was in a supermarket looking for some fresh herbs. I was moaning about the aisles of ready meals and sauces when a young female asked "you gotta problem?" I said "yes, I can't find the fresh herbs". She just said "oh, I wouldn't know wot they were". However, I don't think that access to supermarkets is such a problem - many run free buses (they did in Hampshire anyway - not the poorest area!)

jamesandkatherina: I am involved in an area of Essex called Jaywick, amongst the top three most deprived areas of the UK. Increase in benefit means have another child, queue up at 7-30am for your White Lightening "cider", breakfast for the kids: a bought in sandwich, perhaps a bag of crisps... There's always money for fags and counterfeit baccy. There has been scheme after scheme, but you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink. Even a van twice a week with discounted fruit and veg is only used by the elderly.

Pampy: Whilst I agree that more needs to be done to teach people how to shop and cook, you have to bear in mind that for some sections of society, it is very difficult. All my life, I have loved cooking but now find myself in ill-health, out of work, with impaired mobility and no transport. The nearest bus stop is nearly a mile away up a steep hill so getting to it is out of the question. There are no local shops or farmers' markets and our local market is being driven into the ground by high rents (it's in the town centre). I am not local to this area and have no family to help me so I have to rely on a Community Transport scheme which will take me to the supermarket, where I can get all my shopping in one place. However, this is a restricted service which has to be booked well in advance - and it often gets cancelled with little notice. As a result, I often run out of perishable fresh food so I'm afraid that in these instances, I have to resort to a more unhealthy diet. I just can't see any way round it.

kari48: I used to teach people with learning disabilities how to cook in one of the most deprived areas where I live. Most of them were independant and we used to have shopping trips and I would show them the best ways to cook and watch the pennies with what ever they bought. I used to try and introduce at least one new food each week. I would just do a taster: if they liked it fine, if they didn't not a problem. I have had tonight a cheese, onion potato and baked bean bake of which I am on my second helping - total cost 75p!

ZexxysWife: It's all about our society today. Fifty, even thirty years ago, women were still home keepers. Their priority was to take good care of the kids and family, and cook. Not that I have anything against building a career, but the core of a happy and healthy society is how our kids grow up and what they are looking up to at home. It's not about cooking schools, classes etc.. but mothers, unselfishness and care for the others. This sounds too idealistic, but if we think about it, "I don't have a time" is the key sentence that lead to all of this.

fricassee: Stefan Gates made some good points in his blog. If you can cook you can generally shop intelligently and economise to a degree. But something's badly wrong when half-a-dozen pieces of fresh fruit cost more than laden carrier bag of frozen burgers or a large portion from the chippy.

DirtyPrettyThing: I know what you're saying and I would love to buy my food from local markets and butchers/greengrocers etc but I find these places are never open outside of 9-5. All of my local farmers' markets are on week days, so no chance of me getting to them unless I take the day off! I can't bring myself to shop at Tesco as I hate the place so end up spending a flippin' fortune in Waitrose.

sesley: The fact is that food is more expensive. The imported stuff like grains, rice, sugar and coffee is increasing in price, plus there's the added fuel rise. People living on a tight budget will buy three chickens in tesburys for £10 because they do not have the luxury for more expensively reared organic free-range ones. Supermarkets - no matter how much you hate them - provide produce to suit most budgets and varieties.