It’s fair to say Labour has not enjoyed the smoothest first 100 days in office since winning a massive majority in July’s general election – something we explored at length in this week’s Footprint Premium. That made Monday’s business investment summit in London an even more important opportunity to reset the narrative around the new government and its stumbling leadership.
The reaction among global heads of industry was largely positive as Keir Starmer identified wealth creation as the number one mission of a Labour government. Starmer also channelled his inner David Cameron as he vowed to take the axe to regulation “that needlessly holds back investment”.
Big business may be back in the fold following the glitzy event at the Guildhall for which Elton John provided the evening entertainment, but environmental campaigners were left jittery by Starmer’s unashamed dash for growth. RSPB chief executive, Beccy Speight, described the PM’s speech as “unsettling” for those who love and value nature. “Deregulation done in the wrong way is effectively dropping standards, at a time when the natural world desperately needs better protection,” warned Speight. “It’s a short-sighted tactic that could have ramifications for us all in years to come.”
Ministers are also having to weigh up the role of regulation in improving health outcomes after health secretary Wes Streeting vowed that a health department under his leadership would put a greater focus on prevention. There has been pressure from some quarters for Streeting to take decisive action to regulate ultra-processed foods (UPFs), whose role in driving poor health outcomes has come under significant scrutiny in recent years. This week, two nutrition experts from UK universities warned that advice to consumers to avoid eating all ultra-processed food products could ultimately backfire since people may switch to alternatives that are not classified as ultra-processed but are less nutritious than the foods they were consuming before.
In a perspective article published in the PLOS Medicine journal, Professors Alexandra Johnstone from the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health at the University of Aberdeen and Eric Robinson of the University of Liverpool, argued that until the link between UPFs and poor health is better understood, the focus of official public advice should remain on avoiding known threats related to high fat, sugar and salt content. “We know with certainty that foods which are energy dense and/or high in saturated fat, salt or sugar are detrimental to health and we should continue to advise consumers to limit consumption of these foods,” they wrote. Policy should also encourage consumption of health promoting foods, like fruits, vegetables and wholegrains, the academics said.
Many such fruits and vegetables should ideally come unpackaged, according to new advice from Wrap. Following several years of research, the charity is recommending that the UK government considers restricting packaging on whole, uncut fresh fruit and vegetables sold in retail in the UK. Wrap is calling for a phased approach starting with 21 items including apples, onions, cabbages and carrots. It says the measure will enable people to buy closer to their needs, reducing household food waste, single use packaging and saving the associated carbon emissions.
Another organisation with packaging policy in its crosshairs is the Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) whose target is existing legislation banning certain types of single-use plastic (SUP). The FPA is calling for stronger enforcement on loopholes and breaches of SUP bans, which have now been in effect for over a year, claiming that widespread disregard for the law continues. Some retailers and online marketplaces are still selling prohibited items or mislabelling items such as plastic cutlery as reusable in order to circumvent regulations, according to the trade body. To help deal with the increasing number of breaches, the FPA has funded a primary authority partnership with Trading Standards. “We are starting to see a small number of listings of banned products being withdrawn,” said Martin Kersh, executive director of the FPA. “It’s an uphill battle, but it’s critical we do what we can to protect the interests of our members, who are being disadvantaged by these law-breaking operators.”
Elsewhere in this week’s Footprint News, we report on calls from more than 200 civil society organisations for EU member states to reject plans to delay new deforestation regulations; stakeholders from the alternative proteins sector identify ten “tactical actions” needed to grow the market in the UK; and a new campaign calls for plant-based meals to be made the default in UK healthcare settings.
