The government is setting out the next phase of its food strategy under the new banner Food Nation 2040, promising a “framework of action” on health, resilience and growth.
Coming almost two years after former environment secretary Steve Reed announced Labour’s food strategy, the next phase will identify areas of priority for the future of the food industry which can be “actioned at pace”, following widespread criticism that the previous discussions were too broad and lacked detailed proposals.
The IGD revealed today it has been asked by Defra to oversee the rollout of the new strategy, which it said would build on the work of Henry Dimbleby’s 2021 report and the ideas of the Good Food Cycle, which have been developed by the Food Strategy Advisory Board (FSAB).
The plans for industry, government and NGOs to come together to focus on priority areas of action were welcomed today, but questions were quickly raised about how the process will be managed and how it can make progress where previous proposals have either been ditched or delayed.
The Grocer revealed in July that the FSAB, which includes supermarket CEOs, food manufacturing bosses and leading government officials, had decided that the strategy needed a rethink with “clearer priorities” and “measures of progress for the next phase of delivery”, including “how to manage trade-offs between health, affordability, growth, food security and sustainability”.
“Food Nation 2040 is a proposed set of prioritised actions to turn existing ambition for the food system into a practical framework for delivery and implementation,” IGD CEO Sarah Bradbury said today.
“It will set out how industry, government and wider stakeholders can work together towards creating meaningful change towards a food system that is healthier, more affordable, more resilient, more sustainable and investable for the long term.”
Defra is to announce further details of the proposals later in the autumn, although it has been stressed the format of the discussions is a work in progress, “not a finished answer”.
IGD said the aim was to create an “actionable and transparent plan” to co-ordinate progress on key health, resilience and environmental challenges by 2040.
Opportunity for change
The previous food strategy suffered a hammer blow even before then Defra minister Daniel Zeichner realised a series of sweeping goals last summer, after The Grocer revealed former PM Keir Starmer had stepped in to scrap plans for a food white paper which would have given the strategy teeth.
Whilst there has been no confirmation as yet, one area that has been discussed by food leaders and NGOs is coming together in support of a Good Food Bill. The idea was backed by 100 signatories, including major manufacturers and supermarkets, in February, and has since gone on to win the support of leading retailers including the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Speaking at last week’s The Grocer Health Summit, Sainsbury’s CEO and IGD president Simon Roberts said there was a “real opportunity” for the food industry to grow by producing more home-grown food, boosting resilience and making food healthier.
He said it was “super clear” that new PM Andy Burnham realised the central role of the industry, adding: “We have to really come together and collaborate for system change, we have to show up to government with a really clear view of what’s needed.”
Bradbury added: “The UK food sector has the expertise, innovation and determination needed to build the world’s leading resilient, healthy and investable food system.
“Food Nation 2040 is the next stage in a journey that began with the independent National Food Strategy led by Henry Dimbleby, which set out the connections between food, health, poverty, the environment, land use and resilient supply, and demonstrated the need to address them as parts of a single system.
“By industry, government and wider stakeholders working together with a shared sense of purpose, we can create a food system that supports economic growth, improves public health, strengthens resilience and delivers lasting benefits for people, communities and the planet.”
A leading industry source told The Grocer: “It’s hard to disagree with any of the outcomes that have been set out today, but at the moment there is a lot of missing detail about how we get there.
“It’s not very clear the extent to which this is an industry or government-led initiative. What difference is there going to be between what’s gone before to make sure there is action, and that all of the industry has a role to play, as this has been neglected by previous strategies?
“The critical issue now is resilience around climate – that means water, planning, crop yield. What is the immediate action plan? What are those trade-offs that IGD talks about, who wins and loses, and who takes ownership of that? We need action now, not in 2040. Let’s get on with it.”
Maximum impact
Defra told The Grocer that it was working with IGD on the initiative and hoped it would bring the industry together to take forward ideas for the food strategy. It stressed it was also in consultation with other groups such as NGOs and “wider civil society” in next steps in the strategy.
“Food Nation 2040 is a collaboration between IGD and Defra“ a spokesman said.
“It is definitely not a case of IGD just doing this of its own volition. We are supporting it and hope it results in actions that can feed into the food strategy.
“Defra continues to lead on the food strategy and, in parallel to engagement with IGD on this work, is also engaging civil society partners on priority actions to deliver the ambitious change that the Good Food Cycle sets out.
“The IGD has started valuable work to hold sector-wide conversations and develop a prioritised framework of action. This will focus on where action can have maximum impact. Success will depend on collaboration and action from all across the whole food system.”
Balwinder Dhoot, director of growth and sustainability at the FDF said: “Disruption as a result of extreme weather, geopolitical tensions, and war is the food system’s new normal.
”However, manufacturers are facing these challenges alongside a domestic regulatory environment that is eroding their confidence and ability to invest in resilience.
“Government must work with industry to strengthen the nation’s food security and resilience, and that starts with setting a substantive cross-departmental plan, properly consulted on and with clear objectives and regular milestones. We welcome the renewed effort from Defra but if this work is to actually have an impact, it must lead to real action.”
1 Readers' comment