'I decided to to find out how much I rely on the EU for food supplies...the result was fascinating'

Letter to the editor
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We find ourselves in lacklustre lockdown once more, as an effort to deal with the new variant of Covid-19.

Will this be third time lucky and the last surge in coronavirus infections?

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I jolly well hope so because I am getting fed up with checking the pantry and cleaning inside kitchen cupboards.

At a loose end stuck indoors at home amid a glum forecast that food prices could be dearer with unavoidable shortages now UK is out of the EU, I decided to test how much I rely on the EU for food supplies, by analysing today’s food delivery for countries of origin. The results were fascinating.

Staples, such as dairy and eggs, salad stuff, mainstream vegetables and potatoes, all meats, poultry, bacon and most fish dishes, oats and wheat products, salt, cooking oil, crisps, biscuits, pastries and ice cream all come from Great Britain. We have breakfast cereal from Burton Latimer in Northamptonshire. Tinned baked beans from Wigan, whiskey from Scotland. Last, but not least – beer and lager made right here in Northampton.

Coffee and corned beef from Brazil. Wine from Australia. Tea from Ceylon. Almonds from the USA. Green Beans from Morocco and Egypt. Haricot Beans from North America. Oranges from South Africa. Bananas from Mexico. Apples from Chile. Asparagus from Guatemala.

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The only item made from EU imported material was a roll of lavatory paper. Ironically, most non-consumables came from China!

I don’t think there’s any danger of us going hungry in this latest lockdown as a self-governing island nation.