Getting it right? The UK food industry measures up
In the aftermath of Mad Cow and faced with challenges from avian flu, declining rural economies, food related health crises such as diabesity, and climate change the UK is tackling sustainability on many fronts. The most recent piece in the puzzle is the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy. As part of a far-reaching UK initiative that has been evolving over the last decade, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Margaret Beckett unveiled a blueprint for improving the state of the food industry. The joint government / industry report identifies opportunities that reach from farmer's field to the garbage heap for making the food industry more sustainable.
The process seems destined to succeed as it was developed in concert with industry; it has the support of multiple government sustainability projects which are backed up by adequate funding; it is comprehensive insofar as it accounts for economic, environmental and social considerations; and, it will help the industry reduce its operating costs. The report provides realistic strategies to reduce CO2 emissions, conserve water, cut waste and address industry-specific social issues such as doubling ethically traded products in food stores, increasing the number of women and visible minorities in management and other measures to address worker safety and food safety standards.
The report will be handed over to the Minister for Sustainable Farming and Food for implementation. As Beckett explains in the pres release, "The Strategy will provide a framework for the food and drink sector to play its part by making sustainability its goal. It must be viewed as the beginning of a process – not the end." This report provides best practices for the UK, and a starting point for other jurisdictions.
On the consumption side, a report released last week by London's City University points to the timeliness of setting targets to improve the food industry's performance. Researchers at City University applied standards from the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health to global food manufacturers, retailer, and food service companies. The companies came up short on all fronts which points to a pressing need for companies to take charge of the food they deliver to consumers. The City report gives consumers and stockholders ammunition they can use to demand healthy food.
To view the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS), go to: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/sustain/fiss/fiss2006.pdf
The FISS press release can be found at: http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=197931&NewsAreaID=2
As reported in an earlier FoodNews release, the City University report can be accessed from:
http://www.city.ac.uk/citynews/archive/2006/04_april/04042006.html
*Alison BLay-Palmer is a Contibuting Editor to Foodnews.
