A new report from the Food and Drink Sector Council (FDSC), sets out the food and drink industry’s recommendations for the UK Government’s Food Strategy. A key recommendation includes a ten-year government strategy encompassing obesity and balanced diets focussing on changing the UK food culture. Here I summarise its 2030 vision for a food and drink sector that provides healthy and affordable food for all.
The Food and Drink Sector Council (FDSC), an industry-led partnership with Government to improve the productivity and sustainability of the UK food system, has this month published its latest report, ‘Feeding the Future: Working together to build the National Food Strategy’.
The report sets out the food and drink industry’s recommendations for the UK Government’s Food Strategy, due for publication in early 2022. It also shares the Council’s vision, ambition and solutions for the future food system. The report praises previous industry efforts to reformulate products, improve nutritional labelling, reduce portion sizes and bring to market new health innovations but recognises that more needs to be done.
A food and drink sector that provides healthy and affordable food for all
Setting out a vision that by 2030 we will have a food culture that fosters enjoyable, nutritious and healthy eating, the report calls for industry and government to work together to accelerate the transition to the food system of the future.
Key recommendations include:
- A 10-year government strategy for obesity and balanced diets focussed on changing UK food culture
- Industry to partner with government and academics to innovate for health and environment
- Government supporting local authorities to deliver targeted community programmes
- Industry and government partnering to incentivise and nudge consumers to healthier choices
- Industry/brands amplification of government public health campaigns
- More reformulation and smaller portions
The report from the FDSC comes after The National Food strategy: The Plan - an independent review of the English food system - was published by Henry Dimbleby in July.
The FDSC report references some of Henry’s recommendations, supporting the principles of an ’Eat & Learn‘ initiative (recommendation 3), investing in innovation (recommendation 11), a ‘National Food System Data programme’ (recommendation 12) and guaranteeing the budget for agricultural support payments to at least 2029 (recommendation 8).
On Henry’s recommendation to introduce sugar and salt reformulation taxes (recommendation 1), the FDSC report concludes that the case has not yet been made that a widespread use of levies and taxes would lead to reformulation, rather than higher prices, often for those least able to afford them.
Next steps
The National Food Strategy (NFS) report from Henry Dimbleby, is at present, a set of recommendations, rather than government policy. Government will review its recommendations and those of the FDSC Food Strategy working group before outlining proposals for change.
IGD supports the NFS’s ambition to build a better, more sustainable food system and a healthier nation which aligns with our ambition to make healthy and sustainable diets easy for everyone. We will continue to work with our industry and non-industry stakeholders towards our ambition to make healthy and sustainable diets easy for everyone. You can read our full response to the National Food Strategy here.
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