Andrew Opie news, comment and analysis
Andrew Opie is director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium. He leads policy on food law and imports.
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NewsDefra says government must ‘get out of the way’ and let industry run EPR
Defra’s circular economy director Emma Bourne confirmed the government planned to hand over the vast majority of functions for running EPR to a producer-run organisation
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Comment & OpinionHow retailers can help close the sustainability ‘say-do’ gap
Consumers want to make greener choices in principle, but are stopped by cost, convenience and limited knowledge, says Andrew Opie, director of food & sustainability at the BRC
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NewsSupermarkets to pass vast majority of EPR costs on to shoppers
Figures released today by the BRC say that more than 80% of he costs of the new packaging tax are likely to be passed on to consumers
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NewsSupermarket model makes food strategy ‘unachievable’ claims green body
Supermarket bosses have strongly defended the model, saying it has been consistently looked into and approved by competition watchdogs
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NewsRetail supply chains under threat from biodiversity loss
Retail supply chains are under threat from the accelerating loss of nature and biodiversity, says a BRC report
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NewsWales applies to World Trade Organization to launch deposit return scheme with glass
Documents filed last week set out the Welsh government proposals to include bottles and cans made from plastic, steel, aluminium and glass
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Analysis & FeaturesWhat’s going wrong with the Windsor Framework?
It was designed to solve the problems Brexit caused to Northern Irish imports and exports – but red tape and the resulting red lanes remain
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NewsRetailers hit out at ‘antiquated’ plans for glass in Wales deposit return scheme proposals
Retailers are urging ministers in Wales to drop their insistence on including glass, warning its compromise proposals are a recipe for failure
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NewsPackaging tax driving food inflation and worse to come, says Bank of England
In its Monetary Policy Report for August, the bank says the introduction of EPR is one of the reasons UK food inflation is outstripping that seen in the EU
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News‘Constant battle’ to maintain NI food availability to continue for three years
Supermarkets are increasingly concerned checks are ‘leading to reduced availability of some SKUs’ shipped over from the mainland
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NewsDefra sets out 10-point Food Strategy plan for healthier food and greener supply chain
The outcomes framework includes demands of the industry to make healthy food more affordable and to step up action to tackle the obesity crisis
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NewsChanges to seasonal labour model ‘would cost industry £43m per year’
Implementing the Employer Pays Principle in the UK horticulture sector would further impact food security, a study has warned
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NewsWindsor Framework NI checks set for this week, despite M&S’s Machin’s complaints
M&S’s CEO said on Friday the final phase of the post-Brexit checks on goods sent to Northern Ireland was ‘bureaucratic madness’
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NewsEPR: £2bn packaging recycling scheme fees revealed by government
The government has published the final recycling packaging fees for its controversial extended producer responsibility scheme
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NewsSupermarket bosses claim packaging tax rescue measures ‘fall well short’
A day after ministers published a host of changes to the scheme, retail bosses have accused Defra of failing to come up with a proper plan to tackle concerns
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NewsLandmark day as deposit return scheme body gets government go-ahead at last
Bosses from across the industry said it was vital for the DMO and the government to work together to ensure the ‘smooth running’ of the “landmark” new regime
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NewsEPR is a tax and won’t improve recycling before 2030, admits Treasury spending watchdog
The Treasury has also forecast the cost of EPR will rise by £200m from the government’s previous estimate by the end of the Parliament
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Analysis & FeaturesFood Strategy board: who’s on it and what will they do?
Defra has named 13 food ‘big hitters’ who will form the group. But some sources fear the lineup is ‘imbalanced’ toward intervention
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NewsSupermarkets accused of dumping inedible food waste on charities
New research claims supermarkets are offloading food waste onto charities, who are being deluged with rotten food and left to foot the bill for disposal
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NewsSupermarkets accuse MPs of ignoring DRS fears as Tories withdraw support
MPs last night voted in favour of legislation to introduce a DRS in England and Northern Ireland from October 2027