food

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Why the long queue?

1 June 2016 by Aleisha Hall

If you’re a self-confessed “foodie,” you’re probably all too familiar with long queues to eat at your favourite trendy establishments. You’ve probably never stopped, however, to think about the economics of those annoying queues. Aleisha Hall explores the science of queuing.

The economics of quinoa: superfoods' dark side

21 April 2016 by Aleisha Hall

Quinoa is one of a wave of trendy “superfoods” to have become popular in recent years. However, does our insatiable demand for these crops have unintended consequences in their native lands? Aleisha Hall explores the side of quinoa you don’t see.

Part 2 of 3: Localised Agriculture – a Vision of the Future?

25 September 2015 by Josh Brown

In part 2 of 3 on the topic of localised agriculture, Josh Brown analyses the link between local production and quality.

Part 1 of 3: Localised Agriculture – a Vision of the Future?

27 June 2015 by Josh Brown

In the first of a three piece series on sustainable agriculture, Josh Brown explores the idea of localisation from a Tasmanian perspective.

Interrogation, dominance and control

26 May 2014 by William Johnson

How family crime squads have denied Italy its prosperity.

Finger lickin’ good: will Australia get a taste for a sugar tax?

14 April 2014 by Olivia Robins

Olivia Robins examines the viability of a sugar tax in our society today.

Will your children have enough to eat?

25 August 2013 by Hungy Ye

I recently read an article featured in our Editors’ Picks about the greatest food in the world (the ‘humble’ McDouble for anyone that missed it), chosen as such mainly because of its affordability and energy content. This got me thinking: will we have enough food to go around in the long run, or will we all be forced to survive on McDoubles for sustenance?

The ugly (economic) truth about our food industry

21 April 2013 by Emily Vuong

When we walk into a major supermarket, some of us expect to fill our trolleys with nutritious food for the week ahead, but nowadays what we’re presented with is a plethora of products. Disregarding perhaps the periphery of the supermarket where the organic fruits and vegetables are, we’re presented with shelves upon shelves of pre-packaged products that no longer resemble food at all. There are aluminium cans of soft drink, fruit juice boxes that have undergone aseptic processing, foil chip packets filled with oxygen, and in the meat aisle we have identical cuts of bacon in vacuum-sealed plastic. Everything has been processed, packaged and with the help of marketing, made to look enticing and palatable. Sadly, a tomato is no longer a tomato – the marriage of economics, science and technology carries it from seed to plate in the most economically efficient manner. Many ‘food products’ today are mass-produced by large multinational corporations who prioritise efficiency, profits and turnover over the health of arguably their most important asset, their consumers.