Found: Going back to having a national food strategy, for God’s sake, if you are going to do something like

Found: Going back to having a national food strategy, for God’s sake, if you are going to do something like

Found: The published National Food Strategy showed that the market share of public food procurement is dominated

Found: to get those policies over the line and recognise that there is a public mandate, as found by the national

Found: livestock were too variable and this was despite clear evidence, including evidence presented in the National

Found: While I was there, I authored the National Food Strategy, which was an independent review for government

Found: I was chairman of the APPG on the national food strategy for over two and a half years, until the food

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, following concerns raised by farmers regarding changes to the standard of food imports, what steps they are taking to address the impact of post-Brexit trade deals on British farmers.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

All food and drink products imported into the UK, including those from countries we have trade agreements with, must comply with the UK’s import requirements and standards. The independent Trade and Agriculture Commission concluded that our Free Trade Agreements with Australia, New Zealand and CPTPP are consistent with the maintenance of UK statutory protections in relation to animal and plant health, animal welfare and the environment.

Supporting UK food and agriculture is an integral part of the UK’s trade strategy. The Prime Minister made this clear at the Farm to Fork Summit in May 2023 and in his open letter to farmers. This letter, alongside the 2022 National Food Strategy, sets out the principles that guide our approach to agriculture and trade. We are putting farmers at the heart of British trade by delivering new export opportunities, protecting our sensitive sectors and our high food safety standards, upholding UK production standards and removing market access barriers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 206 of the policy paper entitled National food strategy for England, updated in July 2021, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the implications for its policies of the recommendation to remove the requirement for schools to serve meat three times a week from the School Food Standards.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The government’s school food standards regulates the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day. Beyond this, the department believes that headteachers, school governors and caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies, taking into account local circumstances and the needs of their pupils. The school food standards guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools.

The government recognises the importance of plant-based foods from a cultural and environmental point of view. The standards for school food allow schools the freedom to provide plant-based meals as needed. Meat must be served on three or more days each week and, beyond this, schools may provide a meal with a vegan source of protein every day if they choose to.

The department believes that the current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in England continue to receive high-quality and nutritious food that encourages healthy eating habits for life. The department is keeping the standards under review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish a progress report against the food strategy goals.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government Food Strategy set out our vision for a prosperous agri-food sector. Last year's Farm to Fork Summit was the next step in growing a thriving British food and drink sector, which will put more British produce on supermarket shelves in the UK and around the world. This will also help us to deliver our clear ambition in the strategy to maintain production at current levels, where we produce domestically 60 per cent by value of all the food we need.

At the NFU Conference on 20 February 2024, the Prime Minister announced that we will make the UK Farm to Fork Summit an annual event.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation contained in The National Food Strategy, published on 15 July 2021, to introduce a Sugar and Salt Reformulation Tax.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

There are no current plans to introduce a Sugar and Salt Reformulation Tax. The Government published its response to the National Food Strategy on 13 June 2022, setting out the approach to working with the food industry to create a healthier food environment for all and investing in innovative approaches to address weight and diet related ill health.

However, the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) encourages producers to remove added sugar from soft drinks. It has been very successful in this aim, with a reduction of sugar in soft drinks of 46% between 2015 and 2020.

The Government remains committed to helping people live healthier lives. Having a fit and healthy population is essential for a thriving economy, and reducing sugar and salt in food remains a priority for the Government through the voluntary reformulation and reduction programme.

The Government keeps all taxes under constant review and welcomes representations from stakeholders to inform policy development.

Found: debate - Support for British Farming HC Deb 23 November 2023 | Vol 723 c116WH - Commons debate - National