UK’s Food Strategy falls short and fails to address the real issues about food, say critics

13 Jun 2022 --- The UK’s prime minister Boris Johnson has announced the country’s Food Strategy plans to support farmers to produce home-grown food to prevent future economic shocks. However, some organizations have their reservations, including the National Farmers Union which has raised concerns about the strategy, saying it is “dependent on how the policies are put into place.”

According to Johnson, “by harnessing new technologies, the UK will grow and eat more of its own food – unlocking jobs across the country and growing the economy, which will ultimately help to reduce pressure on prices.”

The strategy also includes plans to consult on an ambition for 50% of public sector food spending to go on food produced locally or certified to higher standards.

Environmental issues and health
The policy paper follows an independent review of the food system by Leon restaurateur Henry Dimbleby who made a slew of recommendations around farming, environmental issues and health.

The independent National Food Strategy was commissioned in 2019 by the then environment secretary, Michael Gove, and has produced two reports.Dimbleby has previously called for the taxing of salt and sugar in processed foods and a move toward more sustainable food production, including protecting the budget for farm payments until at least 2029.

He states that less than 50% of his recommendations had been adopted, but progress had been made.

Dimbleby said his salt and sugar tax proposal would be responded to by the government at a later date, adding that Health Secretary Sajid Javid should “be bold and brave to break that junk food cycle.”

Report met with criticism 
However, environmental groups have criticized the reports and accused the UK government of “rowing back on green ambitions.” 

The report’s final version has not yet been published but is expected to be revealed later today. The leaked draft that has emerged has been described as “watered down” by Joan Edwards, director of policy and public affairs at conservation charity, The Wildlife Trusts. 

She says the landmark review had recommended a greater emphasis on protecting nature and the climate in farming. “We don’t have a food security issue now, but unless we deal with the climate and nature crises, we will have a food security issue in ten or 15 years.”

The president of the National Farmers’ Union, Minette Batters, broadly welcomed the commitment to food production and food security but said this depended on the policies to deliver it.

“It’s vital that food stays affordable and that social policies are in place for access to high-quality food.”

Rob Percival, head of food policy at the Soil Association, says the government has already said they’re not going to offer a food bill. “This would have been a way to bring recommendations into law. We don’t have any confidence the government is going to follow through on our recommendations.”

Regenerative food systems
Ambitious measures have been proposed, including a change in where people get their protein.

Greenpeace has called for a shift toward plant-based protein and the Soil Association agrees, arguing that any meat should be produced in a regenerative system, with more land being used to grow crops for human consumption rather than being used for intensive animal agriculture.

Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, says: “Our long-term food security relies on a healthy environment and resilient soils, with wide reductions in agro-chemicals, a 70% cut in meat and dairy production and consumption by 2030, and land used efficiently to produce healthy, largely plant-based food for people, rather than grains for animal feed or crops for biofuels.

“A sustainable system would require us to eat less, better quality meat and more unprocessed plant proteins like beans and pulses,” adds Percival.

Ben Reynolds, deputy chief executive of farming at NGO Sustain, adds that any government food strategy that fails to deal adequately with both the cost of living and the climate and nature crisis will be “woefully inadequate.”Greenpeace has called for a shift toward plant-based protein.

“Government intervention is needed to achieve a secure and sustainable food system that makes good food available and affordable for everyone. What we fear will be a small shopping basket of measures designed to grab headlines for the prime minister while achieving little for our families, health or the environment.”

Making healthier food more accessible?
Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary University of London and chairman of Action on Sugar and Action on Salt, says the Food Strategy proposes bold recommendations that would have had “an enormous impact on improving our food system.”

“This included a key recommendation to tax the food industry to ensure they remove excess salt and sugar from their products and help protect the nation’s health from the devastating effects of unhealthy diets – the most significant cause of death and disability globally.

“Today’s announcement makes it abundantly clear that our government is in the food industry’s pocket and has no desire to bite the hand that feeds it. We can only assume that Javid has chosen not to implement these tailor-made recommendations for political reasons which completely contradicts the government’s leveling up ambitions.”

MacGregor believes “this shambolic decision will no doubt massively impact the NHS and the nation’s health which will suffer the consequences and escalating cost of treating obesity, Type 2 diabetes and tooth decay that the food industry is entirely responsible for.”

Edited by Elizabeth Green