The government has held talks with the food industry to discuss how it can help regenerate run-down urban centres to support healthier and more sustainable food.
A roundtable in Birmingham organised by Defra last week saw government, industry and food leaders gather to discuss “big themes” and policy ideas, as the government steps up its plans to tackle areas suffering from economic deprivation.
Groups represented at the meeting included the Future Food Movement, which has partnered with major food companies including the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Compass UK&I, Premier Foods, Greencore and Waitrose to explore ways of driving sustainable growth.
Birmingham is currently undergoing an eight-year regeneration strategy aimed at creating a sustainable, fair and healthy food economy, focusing on improving environmental and health outcomes. This includes its flagship initiative, the regeneration project of Smithfield Birmingham, which has been transformed with a £400m-plus project to turn the run-down market into a new redevelopment of retail and non food shops, as well as public space.
Bosses of the team behind the project were among those at last week’s event.
The move comes as Labour looks at working with the private sector to bring in investment into run-down urban areas.
Earlier this month, The Grocer revealed minister for food security Angela Eagle is spearheading talks about rollout pilots with supermarkets and suppliers to tackle soaring obesity levels in towns which have become “food deserts”.
It is looking at a series of interventions, including healthy sales reporting that encompasses the out-of-home sector, in a bid to focus its food strategy on areas with the highest levels of obesity.
Figures driving the moves include chief medical officer Chris Whitty, who had urged the government to adopt an approach targeted at the most deprived areas of the UK, which have comparatively much higher levels of obesity than their wealthier neighbours.
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