Former government health tsar Henry Dimbleby has welcomed plans for a new phase of the government’s food strategy and said it is right that it should be spearheaded by the IGD.
Yesterday The Grocer exclusively revealed Defra and the industry body were launching Food Nation 2040, promising a “framework of action” on health, resilience and growth.
The proposals promised to form an industry and NGO coalition across the supply chain to identify priorities for the health strategy that can be “actioned at pace”.
IGD acted as secretariat for discussions of the Food Strategy Advisory Board (FSAB).
It said Food Nation 2040 was the next chapter in the strategy, which began with Dimbleby’s appointment by Michael Gove in 2019 and saw him publish his National Food Strategy in 2021, although many of its proposals have never been introduced.
Defra is due to announce more details later in the autumn.
“My response would be that it is great to see the IGD leading it,” Dimbleby told The Grocer. “They are the only organisation that can.”
He added: “Sarah [Bradbury, IGD CEO] is a great leader and I’m looking forward to seeing what they are going to do.”
Dimbleby added he believed the food industry had a massive role to play in tackling health challenges, and that in many cases it could achieve change faster than government.
“I think there will still be a role for regulation but government moves very slowly. As an example, the new nutrient profile model they are trying to bring in was designed eight years ago and it’s still not coming in.
“It’s very hard for government to keep pace.”
However, the prospect of the food industry taking centre stage in discussions on the next phase of the strategy, which has been widely criticised for its lack of action, has angered health campaigners.
Ultra-processed foods campaigner Dolly van Tulleken said: “Sorry to sound pessimistic, but with this level of Big Food and Drink industry involvement and control, this strategy is doomed to fail.
“Effective and fair government food and health policies are made when industry is not involved in designing solutions and setting the ambition level.
“Industry can be consulted on for important information, but the government should conceive and design health and environment policy independent of commercial interests.
“That was how the Soft Drinks Industry Levy was done and it remains one of the most clever, effective and powerful policies to date.”
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