Sign of the times
More than 144,000 people signed a petition in support of a 7p charge on every regular-sized can of soft drink with added sugar. As is parliamentary protocol, the government considered the topic for debate. And then said no.
Hit hard in the pocket
The hospitality sector’s wage bill will rise 3.4% from April thanks to the new national living wage – that’s twice that of any other industry and six times the national average. Price rises, profit falls and efficiency gains will all be employed to help firms cope with the change.
Carried away
England has finally joined the rest of the UK with a 5p charge on plastic bags. However, it’s chosen a rather more complicated scheme than many had hoped. Nevertheless, consumption of single-use bags is predicted to fall dramatically.
British boost at McD’s
McDonald’s will source only British spuds, a plan that will reportedly result in an extra £9m for the country’s farmers. Currently, 13% of the 250,000 tonnes of potatoes it uses each year are sourced from outside Britain.
And the one that got away…
The environment secretary, Elizabeth Truss (pictured), has been pushing her commitment to British food too. In September she kicked off British Food Fortnight with “new research” showing that almost 80% of people want to buy local produce. The poll was actually published in June.
