James Mills is a web developer in the North East of England and founder of Refresh Teesside »
Mike Hughes is the Head of Business for the Evening Gazette. He will be blogging on all matters of importance to Teesside businesses - and some that are just worth knowing »
Jez Davison, business writer at the Evening Gazette, is a regular blogger on all things business - particularly finance, entrepreneurship and the state of the Teesside economy » 
Karen McLauchlan is the Evening Gazette's deputy business and features editor - with special interest in all things industry, property and arts related » 
Jeremy Middleton is a venture capitalist and the co-founder of FTSE-200 company HomeServe » 
Deloitte, which has 23 offices across the UK including Newcastle, is among the country's leading professional services firms » 
ClimateNE & Climate Change Schools Project support the move to a low-carbon, resilient economy and help businesses avoid risk and realise commercial opportunities. Posts by Jen Atkinson, Krista McKinzey and Harriet Thew » I have had a food policy theme running in my diary this week. Society generally moves along almost without us noticing but it seems the very slick energy and food juggernaut is easily brought to a halt and since most of us can not produce food or energy directly it leaves us vulnerable to disruption - whatever the cause. Taste and Eat are two northern initiatives worth supporting here in the north east so that people outside of the industry appreciate the difference between the best and the rest.
So what is the conclusion to my food orientated week? This is in the light of having met policy makers, researchers, academics, the clergy, business owners, quango staff and the general public. I concluded that we need everybody pushing in the same vague direction in relation to land management - this is a live debate. It seems that the consensus is that the era of cheap food and energy is over...the fact is that most developed countries are full of citizens focused/even obsessed by wants rather than needs!
The expectation that everything we own will go up in value while everything we buy will come down in real terms is a norm that was unlikely to have an extended 'shelf-life' and so it has come to pass.
Can I end by saying well done to The Journal for the Gibside event yesterday and with true parity also look forward to the Northumberland Gazette promoted Alnwick Food Festival on September 20th 2008. Let us bring forward food with a story to tell.
Ian
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