Peter Singer, author of Eating: What we eat and why it matters. Photograph: Sarah Lee.
I recently sacrificed my usual wild Friday night for the sake of Word of Mouth - and went to a lecture on food instead of joining friends down the pub.
Admittedly, it wasn't just any old lecture: the great Peter Singer was appearing at the ICA in London to discuss ethical eating.
Described on the night as "the most influential philosopher of the late 20th century", Peter Singer is probably best known for his 1975 book Animal Liberation, and last year co-authored Eating: What we eat and why it matters.
Singer argued that eating is a central ethical issue, due to its impact on the environment, animal welfare and social justice. He focused on the cruelty of factory farms and the contribution that meat and dairy-based diets make to climate change. Although he didn't argue that a vegan diet is the only way to eat ethically, he did stress the need for the west to drastically reduce the number of farm animals it rears.
Singer has helped to shape the animal rights debate for the past 30 years, and may now wield equal influence over the question of food choice in an era of climate change. To me, this makes him a food hero.
I started to think about other people who have made a real difference in the sphere of ethical eating. As we've been celebrating ethical pioneers this month, I decided to make a rough list of leading figures:
1. The early organic pioneers
Lady Eve Balfour co-founded the Soil Association, Rudolf Steiner pioneered biodynamic farming methods, and JI Rodale popularised organics in the US.
2. John Boyd Orr
He worked to improve nutrition during the second world war, and was the first director-general of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation.
3. Rachel Carson
Her book, Silent Spring, sounded an alarm bell over pesticides and led to the banning of DDT.
4. Carlo Petrini
He founded the Slow Food movement to celebrate local culinary traditions and oppose fast food.
5. Eric Schlosser
His book, Fast Food Nation, transformed our attitudes to junk food and shone a light on marketing to children.
Who would you add to the list? Perhaps I've overlooked some historical figures, or maybe you're more interested in modern food heroes. Could the Observer's Hall of Fame winner, Tim Lang, make the cut? Or how about US writer Michael Pollan, nef director Andrew Simms, or even Jamie Oliver?
Let me know your suggestions - and tell me if you disagree with any of mine.
