Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve consumer access to minimally processed foods.

This Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food. A key priority for the food strategy is to improve consumer access to healthy food, in order to give all children the best start in life and help adults live longer healthier lives.

We are forming a partnership across the food system, Government and the four nations to leverage expertise, while building on existing evidence and analysis, such as Henry Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy. The food strategy is being developed in alignment with the Government’s Plan for Change and the Health and Growth missions. Through the lens of a new food strategy, there is an opportunity to deliver a healthier, fairer, more sustainable and more resilient 21st century food system that grows the economy, feeds the nation, nourishes individuals, and protects the planet, now and in the future.