Out of Home News Analysis

  • Panglossian views are not restricted to the political Pollyanna

    Panglossian views are not restricted to the political Pollyanna

    The transport secretary’s view of post-Brexit food supply is reason to panic, says David Burrows. The EU has led UK food and environment policy for the past 43 years. Brexit therefore offers an opportunity to rip things up and start… Read More

  • Big food: beautiful or beastly?

    Big food: beautiful or beastly?

    As the EU considers a planned merger between Bayer and Monsanto, campaigners are questioning whether such deals are good for ethics, innovation or the environment. By David Burrows. In September 2016, German pharmaceuticals firm Bayer and US seed producer Monsanto… Read More

  • Sugaring the Brexit pill

    Sugaring the Brexit pill

    Britain’s sugar policy is a contradictory mess – but leaving the EU is a chance to bring agriculture and health goals into line. By Professor Jack Winkler. The UK government is drowning in dissent, divisions, plots and power struggles. The… Read More

  • Future of food safety is in the balance

    Future of food safety is in the balance

    The Food Standards Agency is quietly proposing the most dramatic shake-up of regulations in almost 20 years. Nick Hughes looks at the details. You could be forgiven for not having heard of “Regulating Our Future”.  The document was pushed out… Read More

  • UK food waste strategies don’t measure up

    UK food waste strategies don’t measure up

    Westminster’s plans aren’t good enough to even be included in a major global study, writes Nick Hughes. How do approaches to tackling food waste in the UK compare with other countries? The answer is not very favourably, unless you live… Read More

  • Local sourcing – why McDonald’s is lovin’ it

    Local sourcing – why McDonald’s is lovin’ it

    The UK is facing labour shortages and disrupted food supplies after Brexit, but the fast-food giant is well prepared for the worst. By David Burrows. The British Retail Consortium has warned that food supplies could dry up if Brexit results… Read More

  • Childhood obesity: meet the new plan, same as the old plan

    Childhood obesity: meet the new plan, same as the old plan

    The government’s new research unit looks suspiciously like it was cobbled together to head off claims of inaction, writes David Burrows. Twelve months ago the UK government slipped out its long-awaited plan to tackle childhood obesity. The document represented “the… Read More

  • Do fake farms have a future?

    Do fake farms have a future?

    Supermarkets are divided over the value of the invented brands but it remains to be seen whether shoppers can be persuaded to care. By David Burrows. In April 2016 Tesco revamped its fresh produce lines with a series of new… Read More

  • Cereal firms are still stopped at the red light

    Cereal firms are still stopped at the red light

    Many manufacturers are still shying away from colour-coded nutrition labels. Could Brexit force them out of hiding, asks David Burrows. In June 2013 the UK government launched a new front-of-pack (FOP) label that combined red, amber and green colour-coding with… Read More

  • What’s in Gove’s plastic bag of tricks?

    What’s in Gove’s plastic bag of tricks?

    The new environment secretary’s praise for the carrier bag tax suggests that a previously regulation-shy government could get tough on waste. By David Burrows. What a difference 5p makes. New DEFRA figures show that seven of the UK’s largest food… Read More