Café Scientifique: UK Food Security: Science & Politics

DOORS 7PM | SPEAKER 7.30PM

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Erik Millstone completed a first degree in Physics, followed by 3 postgraduate degrees in Philosophy. He was appointed to teach the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sussex in 1973, but in Spring 1974 read an article called ‘Death for Dinner’ in the New York Review of Books. His interest in food safety was ignited then, since when he has vigorously pursued that interest. He was a co-author of the first proposals to establish a Food Standards Agency in the UK, and now counts himself as one of agency’s critical friends.

In this talk, Erik Millstone will review several of the problematic features of food security not just in the UK, but more widely too. He will explain why the pursuit of food security is both a scientific and a political problem, and highlight some of the key ways in which science interacts with policy considerations.

He will explain why governments intervene in agricultural and food markets, as they try to stabilise what would otherwise be volatile supplies and prices. He will outline how agricultural and food policies have evolved. He will highlight some of the ways in which scientific uncertainties complicate policy choices, and illustrate some of the problems that remain unsolved.