Good news this month from the Red Tractor team, which has revealed that the UK’s trust in food is at the highest level for three years. With 75% of adults now saying that they trust food in the UK, up by 4%, our industry is now trusted more highly than the NHS or water from a tap.

This level of trust is still lower than in 2021, which saw the Red Tractor consumer trust survey return an 81% confidence level, but currently, when thinking specifically about home-produced food, consumer confidence is at 91%, with 85% stating that they trust UK farmers. The survey also showed great confidence in the suggestion that our farmers follow good animal welfare standards.

On food strategy, the Government seems to be setting the stage for a bold transformation across health, food security and environmental sustainability, but it’s going to be a challenge. I’ve read a number of excellent articles in the past few days which have done a great job of summarising the direction of travel. To precis:

A major part of the announcement was around tackling the unfair farm supply chain, unhealthy diets and the rapid rise in obesity levels. Steve Reed, DEFRA Secretary of State, has announced the formation of a coalition of food sector leaders, academics, charities and key thinkers to create a new way of working with the sector.

There would be no more ‘random interventions’ and instead there would be a joined up and systems-wide approach across government and industry to reduce environmental impact, increase investment and tackle food poverty. Henry Dimbleby’s 2021 report will be part of the strategy building process, though the elements around regulation on health and the environment are yet to be clarified.

All the reporting agreed that the Government will expect to see fundamental changes to the national diet, as well as to the food supply chain, and all mentioned the economic crisis facing farmers and the unfair trading conditions that were putting home production at risk. Steve Reed was quoted as saying that “our food and farming sectors are the cornerstone of our national identity and economy”.

Unhealthy diets will undoubtedly be a major focus of the strategy, as they were within Henry Dimbleby’s original report. Reed linked the issue to the additional challenges of the pressures on food security from climate change and the toxic nature of our food supply chain.

DEFRA has also vowed to drive investment, productivity and innovation to ensure the food and drink sector will realise its economic potential in years to come. The section of Reed’s speech that was absolute music to my ears was the declaration that the strategy won’t just sit within DEFRA but is being developed in collaboration with the Departments of Health and Social Care and Education.

This supports the fundamental idea of a healthy, economically thriving society being based on a healthy diet with a population which knows about nutrition and good diet and has the ability to cook and plan its consumption.

The 2021 strategy document talked a lot about the taxation of high fat and high sugar foods, and the recent report from Lord Darzi on the NHS crisis will undoubtedly fuel the prominence of this element again. It really does feel that the strategy will work towards guaranteeing access to affordable, healthy and nutritious food for everyone.

I’d like to end with a thank you to the amazing farmers of the South East who helped City Harvest deliver food to 130,000 people this Christmas. The donations of outgraded and rejected stock made a fundamental difference to the thousands who desperately need a healthy diet; there really is nothing better than a meal rich in sustainably produced, low food mile, nutritious British produce.

Photo: Pexels

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