Foodthink says As delivery riders face exploitation and gruelling workloads, merchants struggle with exorbitant commissions, and consumers are served food without proper health safeguards, a growing number of people have begun to critique and scrutinise platform enterprises. Beyond mere criticism, however, can we envision an alternative platform model? What would…
Foodthink Says This year is on track to be the hottest on record. Yet at the recently concluded twenty-ninth UN Climate Change Conference, nations continued to dispute funding allocations, repeatedly bringing negotiations to a standstill. The climate finance gap for agriculture, in particular, remains staggering. So, when we talk about…
“The American system prides itself on being a highly successful culture because we keep more people locked up than we have farmers. To feel smug about such a statistic is utterly contemptible.” Five years on, I still vividly recall the shock I felt when I first read Joel Salatin’s *Everything…
It is autumn harvest season once again, and whether crop stalks should be burnt has once more become a widely debated social issue. In October, open and uncontrolled burning of crop residue showed a rising trend across several areas in Hunan province, worsening air pollution in some districts. As a…
Foodthink Says Another Double 11 is upon us. Have you joined the shopping frenzy this year? Paying with a clear conscience, or spending to back the ethics and ideals you believe in, constitutes a form of ethical consumption that stands apart from the conventional shopping rush. It reflects how consumers…
As global warming intensifies, fall armyworm infestations have emerged as a new threat to global agricultural production. During our fieldwork in the summer of 2019 in Jixian County (a pseudonym) on the North China Plain, the arrival of the fall armyworm put the entire county on ‘wartime’ footing. The fall…
Not long after settling in Kunming, I added one eatery to my list of spots I simply have to share with friends: Tusheng Eatery. This year marks its fourteenth anniversary, and it has cultivated a dedicated following in the city. Nestled in a creative quarter on a steep hillside, the…
Foodthink Says Since the 1950s, a global “Fairtrade” movement has gained momentum. Cheap agricultural products from developing countries have flowed steadily into developed nations, yet the vast majority of profits embedded in commodity prices have been extracted by large capitals within the trade chain, while farmers and labourers see only…
Foodthink Says 16 October marks the 44th World Food Day, with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) designating this year’s global theme as: “Food Security for All, Building a Better Life, Creating a Brighter Future.” Advocates and promoters of GM technology have long packaged it as the premier solution…
Starting 1 January 2025, Singapore’s platform workers in food delivery, courier services, and ride-hailing will benefit from more comprehensive social protection covering workplace injuries, retirement, healthcare, and housing. They will also be able to form ‘Platform Work Associations’ to bolster their collective bargaining power. This change stems from the Platform…
