Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
By Rosie Boycott
07th June 2008

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...od-crisis.html

The phrase 'nine meals from anarchy' sounds more like the title of a bad Hollywood movie than any genuine threat.

But that was the expression coined by Lord Cameron of Dillington, a farmer who was the first head of the Countryside Agency - the quango set up by Tony Blair in the days when he pretended to care about the countryside - to describe just how perilous Britain's food supply actually is.

Long before many others, Cameron saw the potential of a real food crisis striking not just the poor of the Third World, but us, here in Britain, in the 21st Century.

The scenario goes like this. Imagine a sudden shutdown of oil supplies; a sudden collapse in the petrol that streams steadily through the pumps and so into the engines of the lorries which deliver our food around the country, stocking up the supermarket shelves as soon as any item runs out.

If the trucks stopped moving, we'd start to worry and we'd head out to the shops, cking up our larders. By the end of Day One, if there was still no petrol, the shelves would be looking pretty thin. Imagine, then, Day Two: your fourth, fifth and sixth meal. We'd be in a panic. Day three: still no petrol.

What then? With hunger pangs kicking in, and no notion of how long it might take for the supermarkets to restock, how long before those who hadn't stocked up began stealing from their neighbours? Or looting what they could get their hands on?

There might be 11 million gardeners in Britain, but your delicious summer peas won't go far when your kids are hungry and the baked beans have run out.

It was Lord Cameron's estimation that it would take just nine meals - three full days without food on supermarket shelves - before law and order started to break down, and British streets descended into chaos.

A far-fetched warning for a First World nation like Britain? Hardly. Because that's exactly what happened in the U.S. in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. People looted in order to feed themselves and their families.

If a similar tragedy was to befall Britain, we are fooling ourselves if we imagine we would not witness similar scenes of crime and disorder.

Well, today Britain is facing a very real crisis. Granted, it is not the threat of a sudden, terrifying phenomenon such as the hurricane that struck New Orleans. But in its capacity to cause widespread hardship and deprivation nationwide, it is every bit as daunting...............

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...od-crisis.html

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

Depends when such a crisis hits. If just after my two week shop, I am okay for two weeks. If just before the two week shop, more like a week.

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

72 hours........



T

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

I'm more like 900 meals from anarchy. I am concerned about the lack of beer though. I doubt I could stretch what I have for more then 3 days. :D

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

I've got a fair amount of beer stored the problem will be keeping it cool :P

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

Ahh, the trick is in brewing something yourself that is simple, tasty, and requires no cooking. Try the "no-heat" method of brewing mead. Here's a quick recipe. 3.5 gallons pure water (no clorine), 15 lbs honey (any variety for emergency needs), champaign yeast and nutrient. Mix it up really well, let sit until it stops bubbling, rack it into a secondary container to clarify. bottle and drink. Or drink and bottle... Always keep two to three 5 gallon batches in process to diminish chances of shortage.

I've got about 2 weeks of food, but enough mead for quite a while (assuming a glass a day for two people).

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

Man, did you think you were storing all that wheat just to make bread?

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

No worries mate, the Yanks will send in the Marines to Saudi Arabia to recapture our oil from the Arabs! You think we spend all that $$$ on the world's mightiest army because we love tp piss away money? NO! It's because we love to piss away money AND ensure that will control the flow of oil. Soudi Arabia et al is only a DAY TRIP away for the world's largest army. They can be subjugated quick enough. The oil will keep flowing... It will be more expensive, but make no mistake, THE OIL WILL FLOW and our Marines will make sure of it! Don't you worry none 'bout that!

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

Blatant dishonesty gets up my nose. The neighborhood of New Orleans that descended into looting was not First World, i.e. White or Japanese, but as Third World as a community can get.

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

I must concur.


T

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

Yep, the US of A would be all over it, but we're as slow as can be on execution. It takes a while to get ducks in a row, transport, deploy and execute. In the meantime, the pipeline goes dry and panic sets in and the arteries clog and we run out of things. Imagine Iran intentionally dorking up the oil export facilities the Gulf area. Winning a conflict takes a while (remember Iraq?) no matter how much money we dump on it. In even a brief conflict, the military would suck up the available fuel and our gas stations and grocery stores would be empty before even CNN got the story right. Once news of the panic buying got top billing on TV and Mr. Citizen decided it was about time to stock up, folks are going to start getting mad at each other and a little looting by blacks in New Orleans might look like the good old days. I would rather hunker down and let them do the shooting without me.

Six missed meals should do all of us in.

Oh...Wait! I forgot that FEMA is here to help!:sarcasm:

Re: Nine meals from anarchy-how Britain is facing a very real food crisis
 

I would agree with you exactly. Brits might miss 90 meals before that plan is implemented.