More revelations about the poor health of Glasgow with few solutions. The real issue is the lack of funds to engage in the new nutrition conscious world. Organic means prices fluctuate upwards, like a living thing, treatments and healthy pills are out of reach and even the fair trade food option is beyond the frugal pocket thanks to our determination to give back to the global markets while they enjoy PR with their profit.

 

The truth is that nothing has really been done to balance food needs with profit greed. This is a global problem to greater and lesser degrees. There is a rise in food prices in global markets, simple things we take for granted like rice or soya could easily become the centre of a price war as demand rises. The surge to control any commodity like FOOD usually means the rich control it and the poor are left with the rest.

 

Pricing people onto the choice of good quality food will help everyone and deliver fewer, and in turn cheaper demands on the NHS in terms of treatments and illness, their quality of life would improve and that of their families, people would live longer...wait a minute-according to the science, we are consuming three planets as we read this, if we give the best of everything to everyone then how can we save the planet at the same time? We can guess who will decide the outcome?

 

So there it is again, we want people to enjoy better live’s but we have to balance it with the pain and reward principle and global consumption fears. Good food is a proven ingredient in the healthy life style diet tech onslaught of the last 15 years. All of which is academic to people who simply can’t afford to eat the good things for a good life. Market forces dictate the prices that make or break a healthy life style, at least where food is concerned.

 

Lowering the cost of key foods is the only answer to accessible changes in diet culture amongst the poorer groups in our communities. The commercial and political will to turn this around with a clear commitment to making available good food for the whole family is completely missing from the agenda, yet thousands are spent on reducing heart disease, and any other condition that burdens the NHS budget. We have as much chance of getting free prescriptions as affordable food, the problem is, some one has to pay.

 

Unfortunately, that is usually those with 15 years less of a life in Glasgow.