Tesco boss Dave Lewis has said the UK’s food strategy and standards cannot be left to the market. Writing in the FT, he says: “Any food strategy must also address animal welfare, food safety and antibiotic use. It must uphold robust UK quality and welfare standards through trade negotiations. A two-tier system that sets gold standards for UK farmers, while welcoming low-quality, low-standard food imports will lead to a race to the bottom.” (The Financial Times £)

Heineken expects to swing to a loss for the first half, after the world’s second-largest brewer slashed the value of its assets by €550m in the coronavirus pandemic (The Financial Times £). Although its net revenue fell by 16.4% and underlying operating profit by 52.5%, analysts at Jefferies, the broker, said that the pre-release of the scale of the slump “helps to clear the air” (The Times £).

Pizza Express is to close up to 75 of its restaurants as part of a rescue plan which could put more than 1,000 jobs at risk (The Guardian). The company is drawing up plans to close “around 75” of its 470 UK outlets through an insolvency process called a company voluntary arrangement (Sky News). Pizza Express is preparing to shut dozens of restaurants as Britain’s biggest casual dining chain grapples with the fallout from coronavirus and a cumbersome £1.1bn debt pile (The Telegraph).

People have not embraced an easing of lockdown restrictions in England’s pubs, bars and restaurants, according to figures that showed a drop in sales of about 40% among venues that opened their doors at the beginning of the month (The Guardian). Visitor numbers on high streets, retail parks and shopping centres have increased very little since stores were allowed to open on June 15, rising to only 60% of last year’s levels, from 50% after the restrictions were eased (The Times £).

Large quantities of the soy and beef imported to Europe from Brazil have been “contaminated” by deforestation, research shows. (The Guardian)

The FT writes that bottled water is increasingly seen as ‘the new tobacco’ as consumer and investor concerns over plastics and resources grow. “The pandemic has left homebound consumers buying fewer bottles of water… The category faces a long road back to growth, especially as competition intensifies and the environmental backlash over plastic gathers pace.” (The Financial Times £)

About $25bn was wiped off the market value of Kweichow Moutai, the high-flying Chinese spirit maker, after a state media unit devoted to promoting information on President Xi Jinping accused the company of reaping the benefits of corruption. (The Financial Times £)

Cadbury is shrinking the size of Double Decker and Wispa Gold bars sold in multipacks so they contain less than 200 calories in an attempt to help tackle obesity, but the smaller bars will cost the same. (The Guardian)

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