Looking back on our 2021 Annual Conference: Keeping food on the political plate, featuring speakers from across the food and farming sector.
Given the context of the ground-breaking Food Strategy White Paper being published in early 2022, our conference was a timely opportunity for the sector to come together and put pressure on the Government to establish a Food Bill. Under the backdrop of supply chain fragilities, public health issues, and the climate and nature emergency, the Food Strategy White Paper is an opportunity for the Government to take decisive and bold action to set a framework for long-term change.
From retailers to researchers, farmers to campaigners, we welcomed speakers from across the food and farming sector. We were also joined by parliamentarians from all political persuasions, including Baroness Rosie Boycott from the House of Lords, Conservative MP and EFRA Committee Chair Neil Parish, Labour Shadow EFRA Minister, Daniel Zeichner and SNP's Food and Farming spokesperson Deidre Brock.
View the full agenda and conference programme.
View the resources and links shared in the chat.
Recordings of the conference
Panel: Building the case for dynamic procurement and serving better food in our public sector
- Chair: Stephanie Slater, Chief Executive, School Food Matters
- Rob Percival, Head of Food Policy, Soil Association
- Greg Parsons, Co-Founder, South West Food Hub
- Claudia Tarry, Friends of the Earth
Panel: Proposals for food governance and reporting
- Chair: Professor Mike Rayner, University of Oxford
- Katie Pettifer, Strategy Director, Food Standards Agency
- Will Nicholson, Project Lead, Plating up Progress, Food Foundation
- Paul Irwin-Rhodes, Head of Sustainability, Greggs
- Kelly Parsons, University of Hertfordshire
The political year ahead: Exploring the solutions to keep food issues on the political plate (7x2 minute pitches)
- Jyoti Fernandes, Head of Policy, Landworkers Alliance
- Vicki Hird, Head of Farming, Sustain
- Angela Francis, Chief Advisor, Economics and Economic Development, WWF-UK
- Kate Anstey, Project Lead (UK Cost of the School Day), Child Poverty Action Group UK
- Barbara Crowther, Children's Food Campaign, Sustain
- Ruth Westcott, Climate Change Coordinator, Sustain
- Liz O’Neill, Director, GM Freeze
Panel: Food legislation in the devolved nations
- Chair: Ben Reynolds, Deputy Chief Executive, Sustain
- Michele Shirlow MBE, Chief Executive, Food Northern Ireland
- Peter Fox OBE MS, Member of Senedd
- Pete Ritchie, Director, Nourish Scotland
Keynote Panel: Discussing the next steps Parliament should take to deliver a transformative food system
- Chair: Baroness Rosie Boycott, Cross-bench peer in the House of Lords, former chair of the London Food Board and all round food policy expert
- Neil Parish MP, Chair of the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton
- Daniel Zeichner MP, Shadow Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries and Labour MP for Cambridge
- Deidre Brock MP, SNP spokesperson for Environment and Rural Affairs and Scottish National Party MP for Edinburgh North and Leith
Published Thursday 9 December 2021
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
