The letter asks that once the Government has resolved the food insecurity issues they must help people to move away from unhealthy diets generated by the junk food crisis.
Peter Stevenson OBE, chief policy advisor at Compassion in World Farming, commented: “We have a food system that does the opposite of what it is meant to do: it makes us unhealthy. Poor diet is now a major cause of disease and mortality in the UK.
“The Government must act urgently to address the current food crisis affecting people on low incomes so severely, as well as working to help people shift to healthy diets in the longer term. We need to create a sustainable food system that benefits people, animals, and the planet and is less dependent on grain and fertiliser imports and oriented to a healthier diet with reduced meat and more plant-based British production.”
According to Compassion in World Farming ‘an important component of tackling increasing poor dietary health is a reduction in the consumption of red and processed meat as high consumption levels of such meat can contribute to heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Compassion in World Farming also asked for business models that link farmers much more directly to consumers, particularly those in the poorest areas, allowing consumers to buy fresh, local, humanely produced food at lower prices and farmers to receive a greater share of the income generated by their produce.
To find out more about Compassion in World Farming’s campaigns visit: www.ciwf.org.uk/our-campaigns.