Not only polony

e:

Another year, another food-safety scare. Even with the most exemplary certifica tion and in the most regulated markets, food-related scandals and recalls seem to be on the rise.

SA is currently in the midst of a polony scandal; before that 17 EU countries were rocked by a taintedegg crisis; and France’s sacrosanct baguettes were left dry during the “Great French Butter Crisis of 2017”, or #Beurregate.

Like an ill-fated bout of déjà vu, the same questions get asked about the globalisation of the supply chain and how food is prepared, looked after and traced. And despite being caught out, those in the food industry have cultivated an almost de rigueur response of denial, finger pointing and then, finally, a co-ordinated response.

What follows is a listicle of some of the more popular food controversies, some of which have not posed a huge threat to public health, but are nonetheless interesting (at least I think so).

Thatcher, Thatcher milk snatcher

In a contentious move, Margaret Thatcher — then UK education minister in Edward Heath’s government — in 1971 tried to end the scheme providing free milk to primary schoolchildren.

A political storm was unleashed — Thatcher faced angry protests and could only visit schools with a police escort. Free milk reportedly cost £9m a year — twice what was being spent