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Y2K, will we run out of food?

© Bob Ewing

My original plan for this week's article was to continue our examination of the elements which have a direct impact on the food we eat. This week, soil was to be the feature. I will return to that theme in two weeks' time. In the meantime, I reccomend that if you want to know more about soil then you should visit Suite 101 Contributing Editor Marge Talt's site.

This week and next I want to look at the phenomenon known as the Millenium Bug or more simply Y2K. My thanks to another Suite 101 contributing editor, Arthur Bouchard, for providing some excellent links to make my research easier.

I'm not going to discuss the reality of Y2K. There is a wealth of resources available for anyone who wishes to know more. What I want to do is get people to begin to think about Y2K in terms of the food system. In a sense that is the purpose of my articles; to increase people's awareness of how food moves from the Field (where it is produced) to the Table (where it is consumed). If Y2K is a genuine threat, even the most gentle scenarios, indicate a potential disruption in the food supply system.

If we experience an extended power failure, many of us will have no way of keeping perishable food items from spoiling; very few of us have root cellars. there are a number of food businesses marketing their products within the Y2K scenario. Food suppliers are not the only retailers using Y2K as a selling platform. I'm certainly not negating the possible impact of Y2K here, merely showing how widespread the phenomenon has grown.

The food industry relies heaviliy on electrical power and even a few days shut down could have long-term repercussions. If we consider how many people rely on fast food as a main part of their food supply system and how few people grow all their own food, then we can see the potential for food riots and other forms of violence as the system, brought on by hunger and panic, breaks down, if the phenomenon actualizes. How bad will it actually be? I don't know and do not want to make any predictions but I am concerned enough to begin to make some preparations. One is to learn all I can about living without electricity and about alternative energy sources. The most often repeated advice I hear is get out of the city, get your own land and grow your own food. Advice, I'll one day take, but not everyone can, so next week we'll explore the alternative urban food system.

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