remarks n Five months into the job, Lord Whitty gives his diagnosis of the food chain's ills to Helen Gregory Big improvements are still needed in terms of nutritional value, quality and taste of English food, according to food and farming minister Lord Whitty. He says that although the best is "very good", standards could be improved in the average raw produce and processed food. Lord Whitty also criticises supermarket pricing policy which he believes compromises low income shoppers. "If you are trying to feed a family of four the cost of your basic food is a lot lower if you've got time to go round markets and smaller shops, than it is if you just dash into the supermarket on the way home. "I'm not arguing about their overall approach to pricing and don't believe they're profiteering, but I do think there are areas of society which cannot very frequently shop at supermarkets, given that they provide 70-80% of the outlets in value terms, which is a pity." He acknowledges: "Love them or loathe them ­ they have a big effect on consumer taste and choice. They also have a big responsibility and we need to make sure they don't abuse that responsibility." After five months in the post, the minister reckons he has a good handle on the supermarkets' position and the food chain as a whole. He remarks, without a trace of irony, that although the food chain manages to keep several large profitable organisations running, and employs about 13% of the working population, nobody seems prepared to admit that they make any money out of it. He now thinks there are some basic anomalies ­ particularly between what is produced by British farmers and what consumers actually want. He adds: "Farmers don't often get far enough down the food chain in terms of defining their market and in terms of taking some of the value added back into agriculture ­ that's partly the result of distortion of the historical subsidy process, and partly because of the market imbalance (as they see it) between themselves and the large processors and retailers." DEFRA is putting much store in the findings of Sir Don Curry's Commission on the Future of Farming and Food and Lord Whitty believes it will shed more light on whether the relationships in the food chain are right and if the government needs to encourage any change. He is philosophical that some "serious conflict" will remain within the food chain, but reckons a greater understanding of the economics and production process will help reduce the mystery. "Hopefully, the commission will provide greater transparency so we can debate about what's actually happening rather than the mythology." He acknowledges that the market feels there are conflicting signals coming from both consumers and government and says that the commission will also look at how the methods of farming and types of food can better be met by the food chain as a whole ­ both agriculturally and by processors and retailers. "We want to see a prosperous totality in the food chain, but there are probably changes in relationships needed within it in order to ensure that." It is doubtful that it will respond to any calls for fewer imports, as Lord Whitty dismisses any restrictions, although the commission will also look at whether farmers should operate in more traditional markets or try more value adding. But whatever the outcome, DEFRA aims to encourage them to become more market and environmentally oriented and less dependent on production-related subsidies. "We've got a lot going for us but that doesn't mean we will be able to compete in all sector or geographical markets. Value adding will help though." Regulations are another important issue and Lord Whitty thinks it would help farmers if they had to deal with something closer to a "one-stop shop" rather than the current four or five different agencies. "That's some way off, but it's an important direction in which we want to move ­ not reducing the quantity of regulations, but simplifying the education and information side." Lord Whitty believes DEFRA is in a better position to do this than MAFF, being more consumer and environmentally-oriented. He says it is changing the range of people it talks to and the balance from where it takes its advice."Other areas of the food chain didn't get as big a look in as they deserved and we're trying to change that." He sees the department's job as partly to encourage greater sustainability, and to reduce use of materials and transport costs within the food chain. He also realises that the sector first needs to get out of what he terms "negative thinking" and to promote the positive side of what it does. "It's quite hard to make that leap because of the despondency around," he acknowledges. "But they've got to do it and the government needs to create a framework in which they can." {{COVER FEATURE }}