More than seven years after the UK public voted to leave the EU and two years after the end of the Brexit transition period, a new import regime for food will finally come into effect on Wednesday of next week. After five false starts, the border target operating model (BTOM) will see documentary checks on EU imports phased in from January 31st with risk-based physical checks on foods such as meat products following on April 30th.
In the interim period there has been a sense among food safety experts that the UK has become a target for criminals. In October 2022, 2.4 tonnes of illegal pork contained within 21 lorries was found at the port of Dover having entered the UK from Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Poland. And Private Eye reported recently that in the weekend before Christmas, further spot checks at the port resulted in the seizure of 5.5 tonnes of illegal meat.
The new regime promises tighter controls on such fraudulent (and potentially unsafe) goods but it also risks adding cost to supply chains at a time when inflation is on a downward trajectory. The latest CGA Prestige foodservice price index recorded an inflation rate of 13.8% in December, marking a sixth consecutive month of decline, however analysts warned that the impact of new border checks on administrative requirements and supply chain delays could add to the cost burden on businesses. “While prices continue to rise, the rates at which they are doing so are slowing currently, however, should the government’s planned border changes come into force, we may begin to see the rate of inflation rise again,” said Shaun Allen, Prestige Purchasing CEO.
The Institute of Export and International Trade said 70% of the businesses it had spoken with remain concerned about potential teething problems with the new regime, which will impact prices and availability. “It is vital that businesses affected by these changes are aware of what is happening, when, and what the impact to them will be. Small firms we have spoken to have reported mixed levels of awareness and understanding,” said the institute’s director general Marco Forgione. He added – more positively – that in the long-term the BTOM would help reduce costs and friction for businesses.
One way to keep costs down is to achieve greater economies of scale, which is a somewhat tenuous link to the news this week that catering giant Compass Group UK & Ireland has agreed to acquire CH&CO, owner of the Gather & Gather, Vacherin and Company of Cooks brands, subject to regulatory approval. Both caterers have been working to develop more plant-based meal options and have pledged their support for regenerative agriculture and so, on paper, the tie-up has the potential to help scale adoption of more sustainable diets and farming practices.
Sustainable eating is also on the agenda north of the border after the Scottish Government published a consultation on its ‘Good food nation plan’, which aims to ensure that everyone in Scotland can access nutritious, sustainable food. The plan builds upon the framework of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 that enshrines into law the Scottish Government’s commitment to Scotland becoming a good food nation. The consultation runs until April 22nd and asks stakeholders for feedback on six overarching outcomes relating to issues such as nutrition, biodiversity, animal welfare and the contribution of Scotland’s food system to net-zero.
Good food in schools, meanwhile, is the focus of a new initiative that transforms school canteens into community hubs by providing nutritious after-school food for young people and their families. The CanTeam initiative, run by Future Foundations, has been announced as one of three projects to win the first ‘Big education challenge’ run by the education charity Big Change. It aims to create a sustainable solution to food insecurity and encourage healthy eating by reducing the pressure on parents and carers to provide a meal around work and after-school clubs. The Future Foundation will receive £225,000 to develop and scale the idea which has been successfully piloted at Sunnyhill Primary School and Townley Grammar School in London. “Too many young people and families are not able to access affordable and nutritious food, and with the support of Big Change we can pilot at scale,” said Jonathan Harper, CEO of Future Foundations.
Also covered in this week’s Footprint news is research showing that convenience is key to scaling reuse systems; the launch of a new food systems accelerator programme for businesses; and evidence that consumers are confused by the sustainability language used by companies.
