Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to estimate the potential (a) costs and (b) profits on large businesses of proposals to introduce mandatory food waste reporting.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are gathering further evidence using the latest available data in order to retake the decision later this year.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's expected timeline is to introduce mandatory food waste reporting for large businesses.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State decided in November 2023 to look again at how best to secure the benefits of food waste reporting for large businesses. We now intend to gather further evidence and re-consider all options in the 2022 consultation, including mandatory reporting, using the latest available data. We expect to make the decision later this year.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings parties to the Fertilisers common framework have had since the publication in February 2022 of her Department's command paper Fertilisers common framework, CP 595; and when they plan to consult on revised fertilising products regulation.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Parties to the Fertilisers provisional common framework have met monthly since its publication. Officials from Defra, DAERA and the Scottish and Welsh Governments attend these meetings.
A consultation and call for evidence on the revising of fertilising product regulations is planned for autumn 2023.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the National Food Strategy, published in July 2021, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to implement (a) the first recommendation on introducing a sugar and salt reformulation tax and (b) other recommendations from that report.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Government does not consider that now is the right time to introduce new taxes that will push up the cost of food.
The affordability of food, and individuals’ access to food, is a key element of the Government’s approach to tackling poverty as we manage the impact of cost-of-living pressures.
In 2022 the Government published its Food Strategy, which considered and responded to Henry Dimbleby’s independent review.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timeline is for the public consultation on the Government's new PM2.5 targets.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We are preparing to launch a public consultation on proposed targets for reduction of PM2.5 early this year. Following the consultation, we will publish a Government response and then set the air quality targets in secondary legislation by 31 October 2022.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that people (a) living with asthma and lung disease and (b) who are most vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution are prioritised in the forthcoming pollution exposure reduction target.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We recognise the need to take action to reduce the impacts of air pollution on health and to particularly focus action on PM2.5 - the pollutant of most significant harm to health.
Alongside setting a new concentration target, a new population exposure reduction will help prioritise action that is most beneficial for public health and drive continuous improvement, even where concentration targets have already been met. We will be launching a consultation on the new targets early this year.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he will publish the Government's response to recommendations of the National Food Strategy.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
The Government will publish a Food Strategy in early 2022. This will consider the evidence of Henry Dimbleby’s review of the food system and build on existing work across Government to identify new opportunities to make the food system healthier, more sustainable, more resilient, and more accessible for those across the UK.
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department’s consultation on food labelling is planned to include questions on the need (a) for labelling to better promote healthier foods (b) to simplify the food labelling requirements and (c) to promote more sustainable foods.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
The Government’s obesity strategy, published in July 2020, includes a number of important measures to improve nutrition labelling to aid consumers in making more informed, healthier choices. These include commitments to consult on front of pack nutrition labelling and alcohol calorie labelling, and a commitment to introduce legislation to implement out-of-home calorie labelling for large businesses. The consultation on front of pack nutrition labelling closed on 21 October 2020, the consultation on alcohol calorie labelling will take place shortly and we are looking to introduce legislation on out-of-home calorie labelling later this year.
The Government has further committed to consult on what can be done through labelling to promote high standards and high welfare across the UK market following the end of the transition period. The consultation is currently being prepared. The consultation will seek stakeholder and public views on how consumer information should be presented and on a range of policy options including mandatory/voluntary labelling reforms.
We also have the opportunity to carry out a review of food labelling now we are no longer bound by EU rules to ensure information supports UK consumers' safe, healthy and sustainable food choices and also Great British food products. This would include careful consideration of how food labelling might contribute to the outcomes of the National Food Strategy, which is looking in detail at creating a better food system for people and for the environment.