Summary

It is perhaps timely that this special edition of Gastronomy appears now. In recent years many issues have come further to public conscience in relation to our consumption of food and drink across the world. Our use and abuse of our resources have hit headlines around the world and at last there is perhaps the stirrings of unitary effort to try and feed not only ourselves but concerted effort to feed our neighbours in a sustainable manner. Consider though, food injustices for they are many. We have witnessed nations that are unable to feed themselves, we have heard statistics compare previously unheard of levels of obesity with similar numbers who starve or do not have enough food. We live in a time of plenty for some whom through bureaucratic legislation are forced to discard perfectly good fresh food - the north sea common policies of 'throwing back' fish because, for various reasons, it should not have been caught is one example of madness that surely our descendants will look back upon with incredulity. Our supermarkets stock out of season foodstuffs on a daily basis that costs countless thousands of food miles annually yet the paradox is that we have now engineered societies in developing nations who are dependant upon that business and income. Vast food producing companies have developed such complex food supply chain systems that is difficult to sometimes know the true origin of what we put into our stomachs. There are many others that could be listed but this journal intends to inspire and highlight hope and positive endeavours.