The Food Foundation ’s Post

With the Tory and Lib Dem manifestos now out, all eyes are on Labour. On food and farming there’s at least some encouragement to be found: - Alignment on the need to provide farmers in transition with more support (circa £1billion) - Universal backing for further support through public procurement, planning, land (and sea) use frameworks, trade standards, research and seasonal labour. Admittedly, the measures and levels do vary..! But, how much will the next government pursue truly systemic change..?  The Lib Dem's manifesto lacks for a horticulture strategy to produce more of the healthy food we need in the UK, but it's good to see their commitment to a joined-up approach to food and farming under a National Food Strategy. Not a new idea, but so important these issues are tackled coherently. It's also heartening to see the call for ‘Fairness’. This is something we hear so clearly from citizens right across the country in #TheFoodConversation. #TheFoodConversation is surfacing UK citizens' call for a coherent set of concrete policies to tackle our unfair food system by addressing unhealthy diets, revitalising our rural economies and protecting the nature that underpins our health and the resilience of our food security. 👇 https://lnkd.in/efTe8qP6 The voice of business leaders is increasingly joining citizens and farmers in this call: as per the recent 'Hope Farm Statement' https://lnkd.in/eJzA2hQM I wonder - how far will Labour go in addressing these demands..?

Why are successive governments failing to act over this country's monumental food crisis? Even when a government commissions a National Food Strategy that is widely recognised as the most rigorous research, analysis and set of conclusions and recommendations ever performed, they say "Nah, not doing that". Then the next government comes in and fails to implement it too. Why? 😕 Henry Dimbleby answers this question along with some excellent advice for politicians of today... https://lnkd.in/ewN5NeMA

We’ve joined the call from @obesityactionsc to @ScotGov to take bold action on food systems reform, building on recent @UKHouseofLords recommendations 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿   We urge @neilcgray, to lead on improving food governance! Read it below. https://lnkd.in/e5MFUNbp

🍐 How do we make healthy and sustainable choices the easiest choices? 🍐 Quoting Emma Calvert from BEUC - The European Consumer Organisation, the above question sums up rather well the topic of the #EHFG2024 session on Europe’s unhealthy and unjust food systems. It is clear that the challenges within our food system are complex, and there is no silver bullet to solve them. However, we do have numerous strategies to alleviate the current situation and the key to solutions is in the hands of policymakers. We need to reform food taxation, we need education and empowerment of families, we need to ensure transparency in policymaking, and most importantly, we need to acknowledge the failure of self-regulation. Policymakers must step up and commit to healthier food policies. #YFG2024

💡 Interesting to see Iceland Foods CEO Richard Walker OBE introducing citizens at The Labour Party's manifesto launch today. Our work in #TheFoodConversation shows people want governments and business to take food seriously. Here are some signals that Labour are starting to listen... The focus on child health by Keir Starmer, particularly around tooth decay - a problem driven by sugary food & drink - highlights how central food system reform is. Prioritising healthy food for children is something citizens in #TheFoodConversation rally around 🍏 📱 🍕 It was particularly encouraging to see a pledge to ban junk food advertising to children, one of our key policy asks for an incoming government 👉 https://lnkd.in/eEdnBJdT Banning energy drinks to under-16s is also a promising first step - but there's opportunity to go further 🍔 🍫 🍰 🍩 💰 There was much talk about economic growth and wealth creation - but not much about farming. A resilient, sustainable farming sector producing healthy food for all can help build a stronger, more prosperous economy & reduce the rising cost of food-related ill health to the NHS 📉 More from Charlie Taverner on that here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e4iMhgDy It was also good to see a focus on nature from Labour with the help of a Land Use Framework. A *Multifunctional* #LandUseFramework will ensure nature & climate goals are delivered alongside food, housing, transport & more 🌾 🏡 🚅 Georgie Barber sets out what that would look like 👉 https://lnkd.in/eYAJ2Sum

New 🎬: What do citizens want from politicians when it comes to food? We asked citizens from all four UK nations to tell us more about why food is important to them – and how food needs to change. So far, we’re finding citizens are less divided, more thoughtful & more ambitious than many party manifestos... Watch to learn more about the issues voters care about. Find out more about #TheFoodConversation, including hosting your own Food Conversation at https://lnkd.in/eEJqNNJ2

Did you know that the UK Government spends roughly £1.9 billion on food and catering services in public settings across England? 🍴💰 This money could be spent in a way that supports nature-friendly farming and creates opportunities for #local food businesses and small producers. We're asking that all political parties commit to harnessing the power of public procurement to support SME and local enterprises, enable dynamic food procurement, and to introduce mandatory environmental and nutritional standards to be implemented across the public sector.

🥖🍽 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 #𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 In the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis and related food shortages, we call for decision makers to put in place measures safeguarding #breadsecurity, such as investing in domestic high-quality #wheat production, prioritising the EU agricultural raw material supply for the food sector, and developing an EU long-term vision of #foodsecurity that includes bread. Bread production should be flagged as a strategic priority sector. Read our other recommendations for EU policymakers in our full vision: https://lnkd.in/d8d-5Wcj www.bread-initiative.eu

Have you seen our latest 🎥 from #TheFoodConversation? Over the last 18 months, we’ve been talking to people across all four UK nations about what they want from food. Contrary to some pervasive narratives - like “people only want cheap food” and “people don’t want to be told what to eat” – citizens from all backgrounds and walks of life care deeply about how we grow, make and eat food. Here, a few of the citizens involved talk about why food matters to them, the challenges they face and some of the areas they want to see change in – from farming and food waste to environment and the economy. We’ve also just published two new reports. ‘The False Economy of Big Food’ makes the case for a new food economy, while ‘Changing the Conversation’ offers some early insights from #TheFoodConversation ahead of the publication of our final report next year. Find out more about what citizens want here: https://lnkd.in/e5TZqVbz Read our reports here: https://lnkd.in/e4nbUeVu https://lnkd.in/eMTKUEqS

The UK is considering a tax on ultra-processed junk food to tackle obesity, but we believe this doesn’t go far enough. We need a meat tax as well. Meat production harms the environment, contributes to health issues, and fuels animal suffering. By taxing both junk food and meat, we can encourage healthier, more sustainable diets and reduce the burden on the NHS. A comprehensive approach would help shift consumer behavior towards plant-based options, benefiting public health and the planet. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ei6fDc-A #veganaccountant #accountant #vegan #businessadvice #businessconsulting #accounting #eco #veganbusiness #businessgoals #tax