Priorities of the people
As new Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues to set his agenda for government, public polling has shown overwhelming support to put a healthy, fair and more sustainable food system at the heart of his plans.
One year on from the launch of the ‘Good food cycle’ – phase one of the government’s national food strategy for England – The Food Foundation and Food, Farming and Countryside Commission have commissioned a survey of public attitudes towards food to sit alongside their work with the Citizen Advisory Council (CAC), the vehicle through which citizens are able to engage with the strategy’s development.
The results show strong support for decisive action on food with fewer than 1 in 10 (7%) people believing the food system works well and should be left as it is. Only 28% of people think food is currently a top priority for the government, but when asked whether it should be, nearly half (45%) say food should be the top priority above other pressing issues like transport, water and housing.
A large majority (80%) see investment in healthy eating for children as a way to prevent illness and cut long-term costs, while 92% say it’s important everyone has enough affordable healthy food, and 65% say the government should ensure people are able to eat healthy foods, regardless of their income.
The survey of over 2,000 people by More in Common also reveals strong support for farmers and local food production: 90% say farmers deserve a fair price covering the real cost of production, while 71% would feel more positively about a politician they heard talking about food grown in their area.
Food businesses currently suffer from a lack of trust among the public, the survey finds. Two in three people (66%) do not trust information from food advertisers, nearly half (45%) do not trust what is printed on packaging and 55% do not trust big food brands. By contrast, farmers enjoy extremely high levels of trust at 90%.
There is strong recognition too about the link between climate, nature and food supply. More than two in three people (68%), including 65% of Reform voters, want food to be produced without damaging the environment, even if it costs slightly more, with 88% agreeing that it’s vital food production is resilient to global conflict or extreme weather.
The polling comes hot on the heels of the CAC’s new report ‘From the ground up’, which draws lessons from people working across the regions of England to create value for their communities through food and highlights the barriers that hold this work back. Those barriers include short-term insecure funding; a lack of access to public contracts; and a reliance on unpaid labour and surplus food. The CAC recommends that the food strategy helps devolve power and money to build local food infrastructure; supports farmers to be paid fairly for the work they do; reforms procurement so schools and hospitals prioritise local, healthy food; and introduces a law that sets a clear direction for travel for the future food system.
“This polling reveals two particularly important points,” said Sue Pritchard, chief executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. “Having enough good, healthy food, sustainably produced by UK farmers, is important to people across the political spectrum – a quite remarkable consensus. Yet 9 in 10 of them think the food economy is not working for them, right now. For a new PM, intent on making a real difference in people’s everyday lives, this is a clear steer towards the kinds of policies that people want to see delivered.”
Small Bites
Heatwaves wreak havoc on arable yields
This summer’s heatwaves across Europe are set to have a devastating effect on yields of key cereal crops like wheat and barley, a new forecast has warned. In what it described as an “extraordinary” July update, Coceral, the trade body for European cereals, rice and oilseeds producers, slashed a further 9 million tonnes (mt) from its June forecast for the total 2026 grain crop covering the EU 27 nations and the UK. The total grain crop is now estimated at 286.6mt, down from 295.5mt in the June forecast and well down on the 310mt recorded in 2025. Wheat production (excluding durum) is now expected at 140.8mt, down from the 149.8mt recorded in 2025, while barley production is forecast at 57.6mt, well below the 63.8mt produced last year. The value of lost grain production is estimated at around €2bn by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank, The Guardian reported. “This will hit farmers in the pockets, reducing their income and undermining European food security at the same time,” ECIU’s land, food and farming analyst Tom Lancaster told the paper. “In the UK we have already seen three of the five worst harvests on record this decade, and recent heatwaves here will inevitably have cost British farmers again.”
Frustration at delay to flexible packaging collections
Waste management organisations have reacted with frustration to the news that mandatory collection of plastic films and flexible packaging in England has been delayed by three years. The UK Government confirmed earlier this month that local authorities will no longer be required to start collecting these materials from the kerbside from March 31st 2027 under simpler recycling regulations, with the start date delayed until April 1st 2030. Letsrecycle.com reported that while some within the industry are grateful for the pressure the delay may take off local authorities, others have expressed disappointment at the change. “While the delay is not entirely surprising given the widely documented lack of infrastructure for flexible plastic recycling, it is disappointing given that it was included in the original guidance published in 2024 and for businesses across the sector, including Reconomy, who have been investing to strengthen domestic infrastructure,” said David Gudgeon, head of external affairs at Reconomy. Defra confirmed the change in official guidance sent to English local authorities and industry stakeholders. The governments of Wales and Scotland have reaffirmed their commitment to introducing mandatory household collections of flexible plastic packaging from 2027.
GLP-1s could help manage binge eating disorder
Commonly used weight loss drugs may help reduce symptoms of binge eating disorder, the largest review of the evidence to-date has suggested. Binge eating disorder affects 17 million people worldwide and describes the condition when people regularly eat an excessive amount of food while feeling they have lost control. Two thirds of people with the condition live with overweight or obesity. In an evidence review led by researchers at UCL, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, researchers found that the use of drugs targeting the appetite-regulating hormone GLP-1 such as semaglutide (often marketed under brand names Ozempic or Wegovy), tirzepatide (also known as Mounjaro) or liraglutide, yielded benefits beyond weight loss, including reducing binge eating, loss of control eating and emotional eating. Participants also reported increased cognitive or dietary restraint, which relates to how much people intentionally limit their eating, but the researchers said more research is needed to understand this link. They also acknowledged a number of limitations in their findings, including that trials rarely included participants with a clinical diagnosis of binge eating disorder.
Chef’s Special
Global conflicts and climate extremes could be impacting our health in more ways than we think. New data from market research company Mintel shows that 26% of Brits say global turbulence makes them less interested in eating healthily, a figure that jumps to a whopping 43% of 16-34s, before falling steeply once people hit retirement age. The research suggests a clear link between mood and diet with 31% of Gen Zs (aged 29 and under) saying they explicitly use food and drink to feel comforted ‘very often’, compared with just 20% of Gen Xs (45-60 year olds). Mintel goes on to reveal how food and drink businesses are seeking to capitalise on demand for escapism through diet by developing comforting products with an added health benefit. The year to June saw a record number of food and drink launches boasting on-pack functional or fortified claims relating to immunity and energy, or added vitamins and protein. As well as providing a nutrient boost, such products offer “that hoped-for sense of feeling slightly better-equipped [to deal with the world] afterwards”, notes Alex Beckett, principal strategist for Mintel food and drink. “When they are powerless to change what’s happening in the news, seizing a loud, on-pack promise of ‘better’ may help younger consumers to feel a tiny bit more in control, with the healthy meal plan excused as collateral damage,” Beckett adds.
Last Orders
The UK Government has confirmed that a ban on the sale of energy drinks to under-16s in England will finally come into force in April 2027. The legislation will apply to drinks, other than tea or coffee, containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre. It will cover sales in all retail settings, including shops, vending machines, and websites and online. Business-to-business sales will be excluded. Estimates suggest around 100,000 children in England drink high-caffeine energy drinks every day with a negative impact on their physical and mental health, as well as their education. Health campaigners welcomed the ban. “This is a hugely popular policy, backed by parents, health professionals and the public, and a vital step towards protecting children’s health,” said Katharine Jenner, executive director of the Obesity Health Alliance. A spokesperson for the British Soft Drinks Association, however, claimed the ban was “unnecessary”, and suggested “the available evidence shows the vast majority of caffeine consumed by children and adolescents comes from sources other than energy drinks”.
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