Refrigeration is necessary to preserve food and keep it safe to eat for longer periods of time.  If we can improve the access to refrigeration globally to store food more efficiently we can ensure we can feed the growing population.

Historically, and still in large areas of the world without access to domestic or commercial refrigeration units, food can be kept cool for short periods of time using  underground and outdoor spaces, utilising air temperature, water, ice or snow.  Mechanical refrigeration and freezing vastly reduce bacteria growth, preserve nutrition and retain food's sensory properties.  One third of global food production requires refrigeration in order to avoid wastage. The F.A.O (Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations) estimates 1.3 billion tonnes of food is produced but not consumed globally each year. In some parts of the world unreliable electricity supplies and high levels of poverty mean refrigeration is not an option leading to significant wastage occurring between food and table.  

Preservation of food through processing has occurred since humans first cooked meat on a fire at least 400,000 years ago.  Since that time innovations such as fermenting, smoking, salting and drying have preserved, maintained and in many cases increased foods' nutritional value.  More recent scientific advances have seen the rise of ultra processed foods containing cosmetic additives which would not be found in any kitchen.  These colourings, flavourings, thickeners, emulsifiers and gelling agents help make cheap food stuffs more appealing but are not nutritious and produce foods without the natural antioxidants and phytochemicals found in whole foods.  Food preservation and processing is needed to feed the planet but we need to work towards ensuring that this process retains the elements we need to stay healthy.

Grocery prices are rising rapidly in the UK and globally. In the 12 months to March 2022 the CPI (Consumer Price Index) rose by 7%, the greatest increase in 30 years.

Brexit, Covid and the war in Ukraine have contributed to this sharp increase in the cost of groceries.  There are concerns over food poverty as wages are not rising at the same rate as the CPI.  In April 2022 NHS workers were awarded a 3% pay increase and Universal Credit increased by 3.1%. The Supermarket leader Tesco will pay their staff 5.8% more from July 2022.  As energy prices have more than doubled and food costs continue to soar these increases in income will not be enough for many families.

Work, such as cleaning, cooking or laundry, that is done in order to keep a house clean and running properly. (According to Britannica.com)

A recent study by Oxfam found the global economic value of housework completed by women in 2019 to be $10.9 trillion. This makes women's unpaid work equivalent to the fourth largest economy in the world.  It is difficult to put a price on unpaid work.  Oxfam used the minimum wage (or a living wage in countries without a set minimum wage) to calculate the value in their survey.  A good way of looking at it is to consider how much it would cost to pay someone else to do the work for you? 

A saying that means something that isn't essential but makes a good thing even better.

It's nice to celebrate pretty much anything with a cake.  When I was small my mum found out I had swam ten metres for the first time and she made me a cake for when I got home from school.  I've made my children cakes for swimming, learning to read and the middle one even got a 'bum wiper' cake (a prize for wiping his own bum for a month). The cake in the photo was made after everything else in the archive was finished and uploaded - the icing on the cake of this kitchen A-Z.