Chef wants to outlaw out-of-season vegetables

[Hum]

LONDON (Reuters) - Celebrity British chef Gordon Ramsay said restaurants should be fined if they serve out-of-season fruit and vegetables.

"I don't want to see asparagus in the middle of December. I don't want to see strawberries from Kenya in the middle of March. I want to see it home-grown," :rolleyes: he said after raising his concerns with Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"Fruit and veg should be seasonal. Chefs should be fined if they don't have ingredients in season on their menu," he told the BBC on Friday.

Ramsay, whose London restaurants include Petrus and The Savoy Grill, said Britain had become a nation of lazy eaters who followed trends and fads rather than substance.

"There should be stringent laws, licensing laws, to make sure produce is only used in season and season only," he added.

source

[PixilEyes]

I agree.

[Colin-uk Veteran]

Heard it on the radio. bit of a stupid idea, tbh.

[Lant]

bit of a stupid idea, tbh.

+1, I want to be able to eat my fruit and veg when I choose.

[Angelic Marge]

Keep the fruit and veg but outlaw Gordon Ramsay :x

[GNRambo]

Makes sense to me. It would reduce emissions from transportation.

[morebaker]

He is not the UK`s best export is he? :x

With the global economy, I expect fruit and vegetables to be available on demand whatever the season.

[Hum]

I see nothing wrong in year-round fruit to eat.

If I can get strawberries when ever I choose, that's only a good thing.

Homegrown is fine, but the rest of the year, import ! :yes:

[Starcom826]

I see nothing wrong in year-round fruit to eat.

If I can get strawberries when ever I choose, that's only a good thing.

Homegrown is fine, but the rest of the year, import ! :yes:

+1

[FloatingFatMan]

Fining is a silly idea, but I *DO* agree that more should be done to encourage restaurants to use local produce; even if only to help support the local farmers etc. I'd also like to see less supermarkets and more of the village shop type places... Green grocers and butchers etc. Too many are being swallowed up by the likes of Tesco.

[Borbus]

I think such a law would be violating international trade law... the WTO would definitely have something to say about it.

[.tony]

It'd be nice to have whatever's in-season on the menu.

Outlawing things is going too far, it's just food.

[nexx]

Besides, fresh ingredients = better meals!

But as long as customers demand certain foods all-year around, supermarkets and restaurants etc are going to cater for it.

[DrunkenMaster]

Not a good idea. My favorite restaurants, Burger King and McDonalds, would be fined out of business. Chef Ramsay is out of line.

[seta-san]

stupid idea. chefs and "culinary artists" think too much about their profession.

[+virtorio MVC]

Reduce carbon emissions and support local growers.

Sounds pretty good to me.

[Arkaic]

Heard it on the radio. bit of a stupid idea, tbh.

+2

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

It's gotten quite bad lately, customers over here were shocked when they found out fruit doesn't grow all year round.

TV shows were having those silly "special investigations" about how food places were storing apples for months (then a week later they would have similar "investigations" showing how the stores were importing apples from other countries and not supporting growers from this country)

[+Mystic MVC]

Keep the fruit and veg but outlaw Gordon Ramsay :x

+1 right there. I just find him annoying, maybe he just does that for tv, but I am really starting to doubt it. :p

[FloatingFatMan]

Not a good idea. My favorite restaurants, Burger King and McDonalds, would be fined out of business. Chef Ramsay is out of line.

That's a bit of a stretch isn't it? Calling Burger King and McDonalds restaurants? :p The food they sell is the lowest quality and cheapest price possible. It would probably be healthier for you to eat your toenail scrapings than the stuff they sell... :p

[_bobcat_ Veteran]

What is it with these food Nazis who think they should be able to dictate to the rest of us what we eat?

[(Spork)]

What is it with these food Nazis who think they should be able to dictate to the rest of us what we eat?

QFT

who is he stay i cant get my fav veggie and or fruit any time of the yet the guy needs to STFU

Edited May 13, 2008 by (Spork)

[Kenji]

Yet another reason for me to hate the guy.

[Mekun]

Why is it every time someone gets celebrity status they think they know better than the masses. Fresh is always better but dont pass laws to prevent out of season produce. Let the market decide what it wants. Free market much?

[Guest jgrodri]

i used to wok in the perishable transport industry... you wouldnt believe how much CO2 they are responsible for.

I am a supporter of a free market but i wish there was a way to maybe tax perishable imports and use that money to offset the emissions. Kind of like a luxury tax, it might not even be illegal as there would be no replacement (the same produce wouldn't grow locally during import months anyway)