We are only on day 19 of the new
decade and I’m afraid I am struggling with a personal dilemma over how to
respond to what have been called ‘First World Problems’. It’s said that the
term first gained widespread use and recognition around 2005, and was a popular
#hashtag on many social media sites. Some might say that it still is. I’ve used
it more than once since the turn of the year. The term is usually used in
self-deprecation, or more commonly, to gently chastise those who are
complaining about trivial matters, when there are so many difficult issues
facing many people across the world.
Way back in 2012, UNICEF
conducted a small study in New Zealand, where the most common First World
Problem reported was putting up with a slow internet connection! I guess for
many people, me included, Wi-Fi problems can still be a big issue. If anyone
was to ask J, she would say I am like a bear with a sore head when I can’t get
online for whatever reason. It’s not true of course, I have infinite patience
in such situations. However, in the last few weeks I have seen very sensible,
mature and worldly-wise folk complain about many things including, having to use the hair dryer in the
gym to dry themselves, because the gym hadn’t received its towel delivery,
mouldy fruit in their supermarket shop delivery, and how life wasn’t worth
living now as the TV remote had stopped working!
My First World Problem is not
being able to find Garlic and Parsley Quorn sausages. I love these tasty meat-free
sausages, and always have some in the freezer as a stand by for unexpected
visitors who might want something to eat. They are delicious, the sausages that
is, but they can be hard to find. None of our local supermarkets stock them. I
have been able to keep my supplies going by stocking up at a supermarket near
to where a couple of my grandchildren live. This week was different. There was not
a single sausage to be seen – just empty boxes or those plain Quorn sausages
that are just frankly, simply plain and uninviting.
As I stood looking at the near
empty shelves, I was bumped, elbowed and could hear the tut-tutting of others
anxious to buy their meat-free goodies. It hasn’t always been like that. More
often than not, I would be the only person choosing what to buy from the vegetarian
selection and could take as long as I liked doing so. It’s all changing.
Mintel, the market analysis organisation, published the results of their recent
survey last week. The results showed that more people than ever before are
becoming vegans, vegetarians, or flexitarians; the latter being those folk who
just want to reduce the amount of meat they are eating.
Flexitarians! – it’s enough to
make Linda McCartney turn in her grave – my mother would call such people fussy
eaters. Over 14% of the population describe themselves as flexitarian – this is
twice as many as pescatarians (people who don’t eat meat, but do eat fish), vegetarians
and vegans combined. Research by YouGov found that only 1% of the population
describe themselves as vegan. Strangely perhaps, given this, the rise in people
shunning meat products has been fuelled in part by the ever-increasing meat-free
products now available and partly because producers have devised ever more ‘healthy’
products for us to try. Look at the success of Greggs and their vegan sausage
roll, (more of which later). Indeed, Mintel reported that just under a quarter of
all new food products introduced last year were labelled vegan. My local
supermarket has now devoted a whole section to such products, which I have to
say, on the whole look fairly unappetising and appear very expensive too!
Overall the proportion of folk
who have reduced or limited the amount of meat they eat over the last 12 months
rose to 39% of the population. Women are much more likely than men to have made
the decision to reduce the amount of meat they eat, but overall 45% of those
aged 45 or under report they are eating less meat than in the previous 12
months. All of which is great for animals (unless you happen to be a chicken,
then the news isn’t so good).
The sale of lamb (those little
white fluffy things that are starting to hop, skip and jump in the fields as of
now), has fallen year on year, as has the sale of pig meat (including bacon and
ham), whereas beef showed a very small rise in sales, but nothing like that of
the sale of chickens, which has risen nearly 4% over the past year. In
contrast, the sale of meat-free products has risen by some 40% over the past
few years. Have a look here at what is around to tempt you as you shop.
Now I became a vegetarian some 50
years ago. I did it for reasons of wanting to become self-sufficient. My guru
was John Seymour (now sadly no longer with us). One of the things he described was
that it was possible to keep a cow all year on just two acres of land – but used
differently, the same amount of land could keep a family in food for a year. Just
take a look at the infographic in this article. These days, people are turning
away from meat because of a variety of reasons. In the main they are split into
three main areas – (1) for health reasons; (2) to save money; (3) for environmental
reasons. The latter reason is the one most supported by those aged 24 years or younger.
They see a reduction in meat production as a great way to reduce the adverse impact
humans are having on the environment.
Whatever the reasons people are
turning away from meat, it fills my heart with joy. There is enough evidence to
show that a meat-free (or nearly meat-free) diet is good for your health – but please,
hands off my garlic and parsley sausages!
Oh, and Greggs and their vegan
sausage roll. Well I haven’t had one yet and I’m not in a hurry to try one to
be honest. And it seems those sensible folk in Cornwall are with me. Greggs
have closed their one and only shop in Cornwall after just a year of trading. I
think ‘Greggxit’ was almost inevitable, given that supporters of traditional Cornish
pasties described Greggs’ offerings as ‘junk food’ and ‘Satan’s franchise’ – just
another First World Problem methinks - happy eating folks!
No comments:
Post a Comment