The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has welcomed the findings of the Government’s Food 2030 paper, and has urged producers to take a leading role.
Yesterday’s report called for a radical rethink on how the UK produces and consumes its food, and Andrew Kuyk, FDF’s director of sustainability and competitive, commented: “It’s great that the Government is waking up to the importance of these debates. Along with our food chain partners, we have been pressing Ministers for some time to make sustainable food production a top Government priority in its own right – so the publication of Food 2030 is a step in the right direction.
“But we need a genuine long-term vision and strategy for farming and food production – one that is designed to ensure the nation’s food security against the combined effects of climate change, higher global demand and increasing pressure on finite resources.
“The published food security assessment looks only at the next five to 10 years, which is not sufficient to reflect the longer term risks we already know are out there.
“Food manufacturers must play a leading role in developing any such strategy. As well as being a vital component of the economy, we are critical to the future success of the UK food chain. Without a competitive UK food manufacturing base, UK farmers would lack a ready market, consumers would be more dependent on imported supplies and there would be less resilience across the food chain.”
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