A better food environment for people needs a more holistic, inclusive approach to policy making. Agriculture and what we eat are essential parts of achieving UK net zero emission commitments and positive dietary health.
Central, devolved and local governments should each develop cross-sectoral food, farming and public health strategies. Currently, developing policies that impact on food in separate departments makes integrated action very difficult, and leaves key levers for change beyond the access of relevant decision-makers. Moreover, a lack of transparency over which food-related policy areas are being dealt with by which parts of a particular government means food actors outside governments may have difficulty engaging.
Governments should develop a cross-sectoral food strategy that brings together ministries with shared interests and sets strategic targets on key issues, ensuring they are part of the delivery of a food and farming strategy. It should also provide a framework for integrating food across government departments.
An effective cross-sectoral food and farming strategy should include measurable and attributable targets for: people eating less (50% reduction by 2030) and better meat and dairy, related reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, reduction in obesity numbers and the number of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases (NRNCD), increase in food security, reduction in biodiversity loss, control of air, water and land pollution and a land use change to enable the above.
The new food strategy should:
- Offer stakeholders and policymakers a clear definition of healthy and sustainable diets, alongside developing and delivering it through dietary guidelines. Messaging about sustainability within the dietary guidelines should be explicit, and include clear targets for meat and dairy reduction (see recommendation 2).
- Ensure people have access to a healthy, nutritious and sustainable diet that is affordable and culturally appropriate. Require that any new policies, or trade deals, embed peopleβs right to a healthy and sustainable diet and are assessed for the impact they would have on peopleβs access to such a diet.
- Embed a requirement for promoting sustainable production and consumption of food at the relevant level of government. Place responsibility for delivering strategic targets within individual government departments.
- At a UK Government level mandatory emissions reductions targets for large food businesses should be set, requiring all large food businesses to report on emissions, including scope 3 indirect emissions. Metrics should be developed for consistent measuring and reporting.