Sustain • National Food Strategy

What is the Government Food Strategy?

It is the Government response to the independent National Food Strategy and you can read it: here

Kath Dalmeny, chief executive of Sustain: “In the face of multiple crises in the cost of living, rocketing obesity, climate change and nature loss, the government food strategy looks shamefully weak. Government was given crystal clear analysis and a set of recommendations by the Dimbleby food strategy, and has chosen to take forward only a handful of them. This isn’t a strategy, it’s a feeble to do list, that may or may not get ticked."

Useful documents

• Grid of measures promised in the Government food strategy

Events

• Webinar: Government Food Strategy - how food partnerships can respond 18 Jul 

Blogs

• Blog by Sustain Head of Public Affairs Orla Delargy "Government Food Strategy – Which NFS recommendations were passed, failed or are on their way?" (16 June 2022)

• Blog by Sustain climate co-ordinator Ruth Westcott "The UK Government’s Food Strategy Lacks Teeth"
• Blog by the Green Alliance's Dustin Benton on why the Government Food Strategy is not a strategy 

Responses

• Read Sustain's response to the Government strategy (13 June 2022)
• Responses to the Government Food Strategy by members of the Eating Better Alliance
• Responses by agricultural sector and environmental groups, gathered by Edie
• Further responses to the Government Food Strategy by members of Sustain
• Twitter thread by Matt Williams in the EICU on what the Government food strategy says on food production and land use/net zero measures 
• Article by Professor Tim Lang 'Boris Johnson’s food strategy fails to address food poverty and the cost-of-living crisis', New Statesman ( 13 June 2022)
• Blog by Professor Tim Lang, ‘What the English Government Food Strategy says to Europe’, UK in a Changing Europe
• BMJ Editorial, "Half hearted and half baked: the government’s new food strategy", by Professor Martin White
• Full response by First Steps Nutrition Trust, "Reflections on the Government Food Strategy and recommendations for the Health Disparities White Paper" by Dr Vicky Sibson

Consultation

• Government consultation on how to how to deliver local, sustainable, healthier food in the public sector (launched 13 June, closes 4 September)  
• Government consultation on how to improve food surplus and waste reporting by large food businesses in England (launched 13 June, closes 5 September)

Media coverage featuring Sustain

• BBC News 14 June -  "There is an element of kicking the can down the road" - our Deputy Chief Exec Ben Reynolds responds to published Government Food Strategy on BBC News.
• Grown in Britain, letter to the Times (£)
• Government's vision for food industry is 'not a strategy', Leon founder Henry Dimbleby says, Sky News

• Dimbleby says new Government food plan is ‘not a strategy, Evening Standard

• Health groups vent fury over ‘watered down’ National Food Strategy, The Grocer (£)

• EMMA LEWELL-BUCK: Food strategy lacks concrete proposals to address hunger along with our food supply and its sustainability, Shields Gazette

• Food strategy for England likely to be watered down, Guardian

Materials relating to the original National Food Strategy Plan

"Without legislation, clear responsibility, accountability and adequate powers and resources for implementing a long-term plan, the fresh ideas in the ground-breaking National Food Strategy will quickly wilt."

Kath Dalmeny, Chief Executive of Sustain

At a time when the fragility of our food, health and ecological systems have never been more apparent, Sustain had welcomed the original National Food Strategy and its calls for fundamental change.Compiled below are the related responses, briefings, blogs and publications for our campaigns and alliance members to the orginal Strategy.

Read our MP briefing and overview on the National Food Strategy(July 2021)
Sustain's full response to Part 2 (July 2021)
Sustain's full response to Part 1 (July 2020)

Media coverage

• Observer, 27 February 2022 - Campaigners urge PM to back new food bill and tackle UK obesity crisis.

Publications

• On the need for mandatory business reporting (Food Foundation April 2022)
• Academic paper Policy and governance questions about the National Food Strategy by Kelly Parsons and David Barling
• Policy Brief: The baby-shaped blind spot: What it is and why it's important (Dr Vicky Sibson, Director of the First Steps Nutrition Trust, Feb 2021)
• National Food Strategy Westminster Hall debate summary (15 December 2021)
• Policy Brief: The 70 recommendations in the NFS (Food Research Colloboration, October 21)
• Policy Brief: Dietary Inequalities (Aug 2021)
• Policy Brief: Sugar and Salt Reformulation Tax (Aug 2021)
• Testing times for UK food policy: Nine principles and tests (Food Research Collaboration, July 2021)
• It must be part of the plan: farming and the National Food Strategy (July 2021)
• Why sustainable food and farming is key to achieving net zero (July 2021)
• The Case for Local Food (July 2021)
• Public Sector Procurement of Food (April 2021)
• Delivering synergies and multiple public goods: Why whole farm systems must be central to Environmental Land Management and the agricultural transition plan (Feb 2021)
• Evidence submissisons to the NFS, a compilation from Sustain and its members (Oct 2019)

Blogs

• Jeopardy ahead – what next for the National Food Strategy White Paper? (Anna Taylor, Food Foundation, March 2022)
• Putting food on the political plate: Why we need good food in law, Kath Dalmeny
• Henry Dimbleby's comments to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on the National Food Strategy (September 2021)
• Serving up success: 8 key wins for our campaigns in the National Food Strategy(July 2021)
• The UK Government’s response to the National Food Strategy cannot ignore inequality (July 2021)
• Five things you need to know about the proposed Junk Food Tax (July 2021)
• Is it time for a new junk food tax? (July 2021)
• Four important messages from the National Food Strategy on how we can 'have it all' (Green Alliance, July 2021)
• What are we feeding our kids? (May 2021)
• National Food Strategy: Who's missing from the table? (July 2020)

Events

• Sustain annual conference: Keeping food on the political plate

The full report is available from the National Food Strategy website.