Food Ethics - Reflections and Challenges - John Forster Memorial Lecture 2026

We live in a world of great contradictions where we have a massive amount of food waste but at the same time there is hunger and food poverty.  We are urged to buy locally and grow our own for food security and risk undermining the sort of security Fair Trade can bring to food producers elsewhere in the world.  We are encouraged to eat healthily and yet face issues with poor diet and processed foods.

Our annual John Forster Memorial Lecture 2026 offers an opportunity to consider in more depth the issues around Food Ethics to reflect on where we are at present and to consider some of the challenges we face going forward.

The event is in 3 parts; a lecture by Nigel Dower Honorary President of Action for a Fairer World (AFW), a discussion hosted by Martin Carle Sustainable Food Coordinator at Community Food Initiative NE (CFINE) and an opportunity for Q&A with the audience.

The event will be hosted in person at the AFW offices on 45 Victoria Street Aberdeen, AB10 1UX and will also be accessible on-line. Further brief information on the speakers is below.

Nigel Dower - was until recently a member of the Food Ethics Council and is Honorary President of Action for a Fairer World.  He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Aberdeen where he taught from 1967 - 2024 and has also held posts teaching in Zimbabwe, Ohio, Colorado and Iceland.  Throughout his life he has maintained an active interest in ‘exploring ethics in a globalised world’ through teaching, lectures, writing and consultancy and supported the voluntary sector including AFW, One World Week, Aberdeen Interfaith Group and the United Nations Association.  He is a Quaker and until recently he served on a central committee called Quake Peace & Social Witness. 

His main research interests are in the field of the ethics/philosophy of development, environment and international relations. His first book entitled World Poverty – Challenge and Response (Ebor Press) was published in 1983, and in 1997 he wrote World Ethics – the New Agenda for the Edinburgh University Press (1998, 2nd edition 2007) and he is Editor of its Edinburgh Studies in Global Ethics. His interest in development ethics is reflected in membership of the International Development Ethics Association (IDEA), of which he was President (2002-2006). In 2009 he received an Honorary Doctorate (TD hc) for his work in global ethics from the University of Uppsala, Sweden.

Martin Carle - is Sustainable Food Coordinator at Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE), taking up post shortly after graduating from the University of Aberdeen with a First Class MA (Hons) History-Politics in 2020. He coordinates Granite City Good Food, Aberdeen’s Sustainable Food Partnership, which advocates systems change towards sustainable food. The partnership also supports communities in behavioral change which, in turn, influences the creation of a sustainable food system.  Martin plays a key role in the Sustainable Food Places Network and helped Granite City Good Food to gain the prestigious Gold Sustainable Food Places Award in 2025.  CFINE is a charity and social enterprise which works with communities to improve health, wellbeing and the environment. The wide range of services by CFINE work to tackle the root causes of poverty ranging from the provision of emergency food and community food pantries, to benefits and budgeting support, access to sanitary products, community growing and garden support, employability and skills courses, and FareShare surplus food redistribution.