More than 160 organisations have written to the government urging ministers to revive plans for a Food Bill, which were dropped from the food strategy after the intervention of No 10 last year.
The letter urges the government to deliver a “strong, fair food strategy” but also calls on ministers to protect the plans from what it describes as the “negative influence of [food] businesses and their associations”, which it accuses of lobbying to water down the plans.
The Grocer revealed in July last year that the government had dropped plans for a food white paper to be published next year as part of its strategy, after the intervention of the prime minister.
The former minister for food security and rural affairs Daniel Zeichner, who drew up the plans, was sacked in the September reshuffle.
Last week, The Grocer revealed supermarket bosses and manufacturers had met with environment secretary Emma Reynolds and Zeichner’s replacement Angela Eagle to urge a change of direction in the strategy, to focus more on industry growth.
However, NGOs have written to Reynolds urging the government to stick to Zeichner’s promise of introducing a ‘Good Food Cycle’ by introducing plans for health and nature and climate-friendly farming at the core of the strategy, which they say must be backed by primary legislation.
“Primary legislation should establish the food system impact targets, and long-term levers, that will support the cross-government action needed to transform the food system for current and future generations,” says the letter. It is backed by groups including the Obesity Health Alliance, Eating Better, Sustain, Wildlife & Countryside Link and Plant-Based Food Alliance.
However, the letter also cites as one of its priorities “protecting” the strategy from the interference of the food industry, which it claimed wanted to block many of the ideas.
“Food legislation and policy development must be protected from the negative influence of businesses and their associations with vested interests, who oppose regulation of policies and practices that are harmful to health and to the environment,” it says.
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