If the prospect of a minister running the country by Blackberry seems frightening, the strangely unthere-thereness of Environment Minister Hilary Benn's appearance this week is surely worse.
In the absence of a government, it was left to Mr Benn to fill the vacuum in a way only he can delivering 119 pages of maple syrup-coated waffle this week on UK food security.
Ignoring the fact that food security, as an issue, is somewhat past its sell-by date as its connection with last year's food price inflation has been largely debunked the media clutched at Benn's every straw, including his apparent endorsement (later characteristically rescinded) of GM foods.
Mr Benn's report also struggled to deliver a cohesive policy steer on biofuel. Yet, if food security is really such an issue, why is the government allowing precious arable land to be tied up producing fuel so very inefficiently?
Instead, Mr Benn's helpful tips on the issue of sustainability included encouraging consumers to grow their own, while bogofs, he suggested, should be banned on fresh produce.
Of course, if Mr Benn were switched on he would have congratulated the industry on the reduction in bogofs over the past year (see p8), and unearthed a concomitant reduction in food waste as proof, just as he should have congratulated the likes of Lurpak and Hovis on the smaller pack sizes now being introduced. But he could do no such thing and has no such proof, from Wrap or elsewhere.
Waste is a highly complex issue and, like other promotions, bogofs can actually help address one of the biggest causes, which is inaccurate demand forecasting. Tackling waste would also require us not to do a big shop on a weekly basis, to plan meals properly and better understand home economics, and not to buy a spontaneous takeaway or change our plans for the evening while food goes off in the fridge.
In the absence of a government, it was left to Mr Benn to fill the vacuum in a way only he can delivering 119 pages of maple syrup-coated waffle this week on UK food security.
Ignoring the fact that food security, as an issue, is somewhat past its sell-by date as its connection with last year's food price inflation has been largely debunked the media clutched at Benn's every straw, including his apparent endorsement (later characteristically rescinded) of GM foods.
Mr Benn's report also struggled to deliver a cohesive policy steer on biofuel. Yet, if food security is really such an issue, why is the government allowing precious arable land to be tied up producing fuel so very inefficiently?
Instead, Mr Benn's helpful tips on the issue of sustainability included encouraging consumers to grow their own, while bogofs, he suggested, should be banned on fresh produce.
Of course, if Mr Benn were switched on he would have congratulated the industry on the reduction in bogofs over the past year (see p8), and unearthed a concomitant reduction in food waste as proof, just as he should have congratulated the likes of Lurpak and Hovis on the smaller pack sizes now being introduced. But he could do no such thing and has no such proof, from Wrap or elsewhere.
Waste is a highly complex issue and, like other promotions, bogofs can actually help address one of the biggest causes, which is inaccurate demand forecasting. Tackling waste would also require us not to do a big shop on a weekly basis, to plan meals properly and better understand home economics, and not to buy a spontaneous takeaway or change our plans for the evening while food goes off in the fridge.
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