Supermarkets aren’t evil, importing lamb from New Zealand is more environmentally friendly than eating British, and organic food is a con.

All three of these statements and more were put forward by restaurant reviewer come author Jay Rayner at the Shoreham date of his tour.

Supporting his latest book, A Greedy Man In A Hungry World, The Observer regular took the Ropetackle audience on a journey through the impending global food crisis and the myths that surround it.

Starting the 90-minute talk by stating supermarkets are not all evil, he went on to show the virtues of mass agriculture and production.

Clearly ruffling a few feathers along the way, he declared farmers’ markets a mere lifestyle choice for the affluent and organic food nothing more than a marketing ploy.

But what appeared to trouble and fascinate the audience in equal measures was the thought that local is not always best.

Just because something is produced on your back door, he explained, it doesn’t always mean it is the most efficient and environmentally friendly.

One of the many examples he gave was that of potato production in the UK. Most of our potatoes come from the soil-rich Fens. The nutrients in the ground make the potato per square metre ratio far superior to anywhere else in the country. Thus ensuring they are cheaper, more sustainable and more environmentally friendly to produce.

Food for thought indeed.