Why it’s time to include food as a weapon of war in the history books
Joshua Minchin of New Food considers historical occurrences and queries the possibility that food could be used as a weapon against Ukrainians while the conflict rages on.
The adage “out of the frying pan and into the fire” seems appropriate given the state of affairs that the world—not just the food and beverage industry—is in right now. As if the difficulties of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic weren’t enough, there is currently a war raging across Europe.
Europe has experienced war before; just ask the people of Sarajevo or Mostar. However, I had thought that the idea of one sovereign country blasting the residential areas of another had been relegated to the annals of history. If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the last two years, it’s that things can always get worse.
The impact that the situation in Ukraine may have on the food and beverage industry is a topic we at New Food have covered extensively, both in terms of time and virtual column inches. These ramifications are serious and should not be ignored (you can read about the potential industry pressures here).1. However, the possible use of food deprivation as a weapon is another aspect of this impending problem that warrants further attention. Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski’s bleak speech to the European Commission on March 23, 2022, partially confirmed my suspicions.
“Deputy Minister Taras Dzoba, with whom I also spoke, stated that Russia is occupying Ukrainian territory and turning it into a weapon. In a statement that pledged European assistance for both the Ukrainian food system and the nations that depend on imports from Russia and Ukraine, Wojciechowski called the country “a weapon against its own people; a weapon of starvation.”
Although Wojciechowski’s remarks may be written off as passionate political rhetoric, I believe they should be taken seriously as the warning that they are. Naturally, food is a vital component of every community, but it has also played a significant historical role in Russia, Ukraine, and the entire former Soviet Union in the past.
Millions of Ukrainians were forced to starve during the Holodomor, which is known as “death by hunger” in Ukrainian, less than a century ago.3. Since then, there have been many devastating famines all throughout the world; these should not be minimized or disregarded, but they are not often planned events.
Stalin’s Politburo imposed grain requisition tactics that were partly intended to promote agricultural collectivization and dash Ukrainian aspirations for independence. Residents were prohibited from leaving the area and fines for exceeding grain quotas were confiscated in the form of other foods. Suffering is nothing new to the destroyed streets of Kyiv and Kharkiv that are seen on the Ten O’clock News; in 1932, they were ornamented with famished peasants.
Although far more knowledgeable academics have examined the causes and consequences of the Holodomor—including the delicate question of whether it qualifies as genocide—it may be more important than ever for us all to remember or educate ourselves about it.
There are serious concerns that Russia’s targeting of agricultural land in Ukraine is not an accident. Food can be utilized as a weapon if the Kremlin chooses to play the long game rather than overrunning its neighbor in a couple of weeks. This tactic is as old as warfare itself, and Russia is all too familiar with it. After all, during the German siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in 1941–1944, more people went hungry than died.
While it is naturally horrifying to witness explosive ordnance dropping on a European capital, we should also be concerned about the threat of starvation that threatens Ukraine and the nations it serves.
Food can be a far more deadly weapon than any bomb, or the withholding of it. Ensuring that the people of Ukraine do not go hungry is the responsibility of governments worldwide as well as those involved in the food sector.