Londoners must act to create a healthy global food supply system, according to speakers at a food conference in the capital today.

London Mayor Ken Livingston hosted the conference at City Hall, following yesterday’s World Food Day, to examine current concerns about food.

International food writers, journalists and campaigners were invited to present their views on local production, organics and health, the problems of exploitative production, corporate monopoly in the food chain and misinformation about food.

The conference follows the Mayor’s launch of the draft London Food Strategy last month, which sets out how to enjoy eating healthy, culturally diverse food in the capital while ensuring a sustainable future for all.

Jenny Jones, co-presenter of the London Food Strategy and chair of London Food added: “The ecological impact of the current food system is unsustainable, and the fact that many Londoners are unable to access healthy food is unacceptable. The London Food Strategy will seek to address the iniquities of the food system using a wide range of partners to improve the situation for everyone.”

Richard Ehrlich Chair of the Guild of Food Writers said food writers had a part to play in sustaining global food supply.

“The capital’s continued gastronomic resurgence depends on the work of people all over the world - and on the viability of the land they farm,” he said.

“Our lives are inextricably linked with the lives of those who grow our food, both at home and abroad. And the Guild of Food Writers knows this well: there’s no point in writing a wonderful recipe if your readers can’t find decent ingredients with which to cook it.”

The conference was organised by the Guild of Food Writers, the Food Ethics Council, Sustain, UK Food Group and ActionAid in association with London Food.

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