Organic and sustainable farming groups have welcomed a new independent review of UK food policy that calls for “a gold standard level of scrutiny” to ensure post-Brexit trade deals do not jeopardise environment and health standards.
Part 1 of the National Food Strategy report, commissioned by the Government in 2019, focuses on two main areas – future trade deals following Britain’s exit from the European Union, and children’s nutrition and health. But it also contains “urgent recommendations” to support the country through the turbulence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
The author of the first report, the food entrepreneur and co-founder of the Leon restaurant chain Henry Dimbleby (pictured), said the UK had a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to decide what kind of trading nation it wanted to be when the transition period ends. “We should use that freedom to decide that we want to uphold standards,” he added.
Welcoming the report, the Soil Association called it “a welcome step towards a joined up national food strategy”. In a commentary, the organic charity said: “We’re delighted to see clear acknowledgement that trade negotiations must not undermine our environmental and animal welfare standards, and a call for greater transparency and democratic oversight of any future deal. We need to be raising the bar towards an organic and agroecological future, not creating a new ‘race to the bottom’ in food production.” On the issue of ensuring that disadvantaged children have access to healthy, nutritious food, it said: “A Government that is serious about ‘levelling up’ must ensure that all children get the nutrition they need.”
Dishonest food pricing
Patrick Holden, chief executive of the Sustainable Food Trust also welcomed the report, and said he hoped that it would herald the “radical intervention” needed to drive progress on health and nutrition, climate change and nature. He added: “We are glad to see that the report highlights the dishonesty of current food pricing which fails to account for damage to the environment and public health. Our long-standing work in this area has shown that for every £1 we spend on food we pay another £1 through taxes, insurance and hidden costs to address the negative impacts of intensive food production.
Ben Reynolds, deputy chief executive of food and farming campaign group Sustain said: “We welcome this thoughtful and comprehensive vision of what our food system looks like right now, and the attention it gives to the urgent response needed to Coronavirus. We strongly support the recommendations that the report makes to ensure better access to healthy food for those families on the lowest income, and hope that Government adopts without delay the calls to increase eligibility to free school meals, the value of Healthy Start vouchers and extension of the holiday activity and food programme.