Designated driver
There has been confusion and concern expressed over the “next phase” of England’s national food strategy, as food policy experts lined up to question the increasing role of industry in developing the framework.
It was reported this week that industry body IGD will lead the development of a new set of prioritised actions under the banner, ‘Food Nation 2040’, with the aim of building a food system that is healthier, more affordable, more resilient, more sustainable and investable for the long term.
Food Nation 2040 is billed as the next stage in a journey that began with the publication of the independent ‘National food strategy for England’, led by Henry Dimbleby. “Food Nation 2040 builds on those foundations, which also included the Food Strategy Advisory Board’s listening workshops, supported by IGD and the publication of the government’s Good Food Cycle,” explained IGD CEO Sarah Bradbury in an op-ed published by The Grocer on Wednesday.
The magazine reported that IGD had been “asked by Defra” to oversee the rollout of the new strategy. Bradbury wrote: “As an organisation that works across the whole food system, IGD will act as a convenor for Food Nation 2040, working with industry partners across the food system and with government.”
A follow-up report quoted Henry Dimbleby in support of IGD leading the strategy with the Bramble Partners co-founder noting that food companies are able to move faster than ministers. He added that while “there will still be a role for regulation […] government moves very slowly”.
There has so far been no official confirmation of Defra’s role within Food Nation 2040, nor of what it means for the future of the Good Food Cycle strategy itself. However, a Defra spokesperson told Footprint: “This is not IGD leading on the food strategy or the next phase of it. IGD have offered to produce an industry led framework of action, Food Nation 2040, to advance delivery of the outcomes in the government’s Good Food Cycle. They have indicated this is likely to be produced in the Autumn. The proposal was presented to the Food Strategy Advisory Board (FSAB) on 14 September.”
A summary of that FSAB meeting, attended by Bradbury along with Defra secretary of state Angela Eagle and farming minister Stephen Morgan, states: “Discussions covered healthy and affordable food, growth and investment, resilience and sustainability, and food culture and connection. The Board made specific suggestions about priority areas and advised strongly on the need to prioritise areas where action could be taken quickly, to maximise impact. Effective engagement across government, the food sector, and civil society would be key.”
James Bielby, chief executive at FWD, the trade association for food and drink wholesalers, wrote on social media that the reporting around Food Nation 2040 was “inaccurate […] they [IGD] are choosing to do this, it’s not been set up by government at all”, he claimed.
Chris Hilson, professor of environmental law at the University of Reading, told Footprint that the mandate for the new strategy is important. “If the IGD was fed up with nothing concrete coming out of Defra and have just got on with something themselves then one might understand that. But in that case one might expect Defra to tell us when their own concrete government strategy will appear. If the mandate has come from Defra, then that’s even more concerning – they are delegating public policy to an unelected private body. I would expect a judicial review to test whether they can lawfully use their powers to delegate in this way,” he added.
While the full picture remains unclear (IGD was approached for comment) the possibility of the new strategy being led by industry has created concern. “Sorry to sound pessimistic, but with this level of big food and drink industry involvement and control this strategy is doomed to fail,” warned Dolly van Tulleken, the food policy consultant and campaigner. “Effective and fair government food and health policies are made when industry is not involved in designing solutions and setting the ambition level,” she wrote on social media.
In her op-ed, Bradbury said the first proposal for Food Nation 2040 has been informed by ongoing discussion with senior leaders within the food and drink industry, Defra and FSAB.”It will be made public this autumn, and is intended as a framework for ongoing discussion and engagement, not as a final solution,” she noted.
Small Bites
Fibre the focus for new campaign
Chefs and caterers are being asked to share tips for getting more beans and pulses into dishes as part of a new campaign by the charity Veg Power. ‘Feel the fibre’ forms part of the wider ‘Bang in some beans’ initiative overseen by The Food Foundation and Veg Power. It asks food businesses to become ‘Keen bean pledgers’ by setting sales-based targets and committing to make beans more appealing as part of a plan to double UK consumption by 2028. The new fibre-focused campaign brings together media partners and social media influencers, alongside ‘keen bean’ pledgers, to support a primary and special school programme and a national community project. The initiative comes in the same month the UK Government announced new school food standards for England, which will mean more fibre, beans and pulses being added to menus. “We know that changing school menus can sometimes face resistance from children, and their parents and carers,” the website states. “That’s why Veg Power is launching a brand-new, nationwide campaign this autumn to get children and families excited about healthy eating, making the menu transition seamless for your school.” This month ministers rubber-stamped changes to school food standards in England which will see more vegetables and fibre-rich foods like beans and pulses served from the start of the next academic year in September 2027.
Farmers look back in anger as funding dries up
Thousands of farmers have been left empty-handed after the pot of public money allocated to fund nature recovery was spent in just six hours. The UK Government’s £233m sustainable farming incentive (SFI) scheme opened for applications from farmers at 10am on Tuesday. By 4pm, the fund had closed with many farmers unable to submit applications. NFU vice-president Robyn Munt said the rapid uptake, likened by some to the scramble for Oasis tickets prior to the band’s comeback tour, was no surprise, showing “the scale of demand there is from farmers to deliver for the environment and to invest in farm resilience”. Like others, the NFU had warned Defra that the funds available would be insufficient to meet demand for sustainable farming practices. Soil Association policy director Brendan Costelloe said for farmers to have such a tiny window to apply to the SFI was “shambolic. When we’re facing a nature and climate crisis, it really is disheartening that so many farmers who wanted support to do something about it have been locked out, and this has implications for food security and the environment.” Demands for more funding are now likely to intensify. Alice Groom, head of sustainable land policy in England at the charity RSPB, suggested on social media that the government is playing a dangerous game, as “farmers who want to do the right thing are repeatedly told there is an opportunity to participate, only to find the money has gone before they can access it”. Over time this risks “disengagement”, she added.
Confusion over compostables to be tackled
Compostable packaging has become a mainstay of foodservice operations, however the extent to which this represents a sustainable solution, given the challenges of capturing and composting the various cups, plates and containers, continues to be debated. New research is hoping to provide some of the answers. The project, led by charity Recoup as part of Innovate funding for the UK Bio-Based Solutions Network (BB-REG-NET), will involve real-world, end-of-life testing to find out how bio-based, biodegradable and compostable materials behave when they reach UK waste infrastructure, including whether they can be reliably identified and sorted at materials recovery facilities (MRFs). The project will also build the economic and technical case for organic recycling of certified compostable packaging. “There is a growing range of bio-based, biodegradable and compostable products entering the market, but the waste sector needs solid, real-world evidence about how they behave when they reach sorting and recycling infrastructure,” said Recoup technical director Richard Cham. “This programme will generate that evidence, so the sector has the practical guidance it needs to handle these materials confidently,” he added.
Chef’s Special
Chefs may need to get creative with potatoes – and alternatives – this autumn after it was revealed that Britain’s growers could lose between £80m and £169m as drought and extreme summer temperatures slash yields and tighten supplies across Europe. As one of Europe’s thirstiest crops, it was “inevitable” that the potato harvest would be hit hard, explained ECIU analyst Tom Lancaster, with some yield estimates suggesting a 20% shortfall. New analysis by the think tank detailed how 2025 produced a record 27.3 million-tonne potato harvest, which collapsed prices due to oversupply. Growers responded “the way a market should” and planted less: 11% less in Germany, 10% in France, 15% in the Netherlands and 17% in Belgium. That took a further 3.6 million tonnes out of the crop based on yields at the five-year average. Production losses associated with this summer’s extreme heat and drought conditions come on top of this market-related contraction in supply, making this year possibly the smallest EU-wide potato crop on record, according to World Potato Markets. British processors are paying over £300 a tonne to secure supply against £180 in February. David Read, founder of procurement consultancy Prestige Purchasing, speculated about the potential impact on operators of poor potato yields and quality in an August Footprint in Focus feature. “Two years ago, the drought meant potato sizing was terrible, so you couldn’t get long chips and organisations changed to serve short chunky chips, or longer, sweet potato chips,” he explained.
Last Orders
Fears have been raised that drinks brands are not prepared for a new EU law that clamps down on dubious environmental claims. On September 27th, the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive officially applies to member states. ECGT, or EmpCo as it has been nicknamed, is designed to root out greenwashing and misleading claims, and allow brands that are doing genuinely good work to shine. Drinks brands don’t appear to be prepared, however. Tim Etherington-Judge, founder of consultancy Alkatera, assessed the green claims made by 100 brands in beer, cider, wine and spirits against both EmpCo and the UK’s Green Claims Code. Of the 60 making such claims, 42 were ‘at risk’ of falling foul of the rules, with 15% of those considered ‘high risk’ (providing no evidence to back up the claims and likely to fall foul of EmpCo) and 55% at ‘medium risk’. Only four of the 60 backed up every claim they made. This isn’t just an EU issue, said Etherington-Judge. “The rules cover any UK brand that sells to shoppers in the EU, and here in the UK, the CMA [Competition and Markets Authority] has been able to fine businesses up to 10% of their global turnover for misleading consumers since April 2025, without going to court first,” he added.
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