For a strategy meant to drive a “generational change in the nation’s relationship with food”, the Good Food Cycle has been strangely quiet. Instead of confident, joined-up action, businesses are getting a stop-start, drip feed of policy initiatives – some considered, others feeling like short-term firefighting.
It’s a far cry from the bold policy landscape the UK needs if we want everyone to eat well, progressive food and farming businesses to thrive, and food systems to be sustainable and resilient.
The UK government risks getting stuck in permanent short-term mode – and that’s a problem for farmers, those working in the food sector and the public alike.
Launched in July 2025 by the then minister for food security, Daniel Zeichner, the Good Food Cycle set out to address three deep-rooted system failures: the junk food cycle, the invisibility of nature, and the resilience gap. But since then, it’s the food strategy framework itself that has been almost invisible.
Short termism in action
The average term of office for the Defra secretary of state in the past decade is 12 months – not nearly long enough to drive bold systemic change. The pattern over that time is familiar: consult, diagnose, publish, hint at action, reshuffle, silence, repeat.
For food systems, the hard thinking has already been done, from Henry Dimbleby’s food strategy to the Good Food Cycle and by the Citizen Advisory Council. We need to build on that momentum. The longer we delay, the harder the journey becomes.
Civil servants in Defra and other key departments involved in our food systems have been working hard within tight constraints. The Crisis & Resilience Fund, the Land Use Framework and moves on animal welfare have, rightly, been broadly welcomed.
But recently we’ve also seen misguided commitments: to triple surplus food redistribution, rather than focus on addressing the root causes of food waste; a price cap on staple foods, compensated by delaying action on healthy food sales targets; rumours that the food technology GCSE might be downgraded, just when such skills matter most. These are short-termist responses, not the joined-up, long-term investment in real food security that we need.
We can’t reasonably expect the government to lay out one smooth path forward – it will never know exactly what’s coming round the corner. But we need clarity of vision and possible fair routes forward, plus agility to change path when needed.
Even better, we need a Good Food Bill to give us a clear sense of direction in the form of long-lasting legislation.
Time to change gear
Last week I picked up my mum’s old bike from my dad’s garage. The chain was rusty and the tyres were flat. Left much longer, it would have been scrap. But with a bit of oil and air, it’s running smoothly again. The Good Food Cycle is the same. The frame is strong. The direction is right. But it will seize up without attention, investment and political will.
For the sake of all our futures, it’s time to oil the chain and change gear.
Dan Crossley is executive director at the Food Ethics Council
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