This would be a piece of legislation and a ‘once-in-a-life time’ opportunity for the UK Government to set out a visionary plan to transform the food system.
Businesses including Bidfood and major caterers Elior and Sodexo are standing alongside NGOs including The Food Foundation, Sustain and WWF, as well as health organisations like the British Medical Association, British Heart Foundation and the British Dental Association with a shared call for a ‘Good Food Bill’.
Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation, commented: “A Good Food Bill would provide the durable policy foundation needed to transform the food system for generations to come. Governments can achieve important wins within a single term, but only legislation can lock in change, providing certainty and protecting progress from shifting political priorities.
“With food strategies and legislation already in place across the devolved nations, this is a timely opportunity for Westminster to introduce legislation that benefits the whole UK. We are calling on the Government to seize this moment, commit to new primary legislation and lead the change needed to build a food system fit for the future.”
The Bill would enshrine in law policies, targets and ambitions to improve public health, reduce inequalities, protect the environment and improve UK resilience, while safeguarding progress from short-term political cycles. The key issues raised include:
- 69% of people think the UK Government should be doing more to ensure everyone can afford and access healthy food
- 65% of people support the introduction of a ‘Food Bill’ that would put in place new duties and targets on Government to make healthy food more accessible and affordable
- Half (53%) of people think the current state of international affairs has made protecting the UK food supply ‘more important’
Kath Dalmeny, chief executive of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, added: "A Good Food Bill would give farmers, growers, businesses and communities the long-term certainty they need to invest in sustainable practices. The UK currently has very little strategic oversight to ensure everybody gets properly fed.
"But through smart investment, aligned trade policy and the right targets, legislation can unlock opportunities for growth, build resilient supply chains, and create a food system that works from farm to fork - supporting sustainable farming, protecting public health, and ensuring nobody goes without healthy, nutritious food in a country as wealthy as our own."