Campaign says government should improve food education and offer free school meals
UK food campaign Love British Food is urging the government to prioritise a food strategy that embraces community engagement, education and accessibility.
The call was issued during British Food Fortnight (20 September-6 October), the UK’s largest annual celebration of British food and farming, which highlights the value of local production and the need for a strategy that promotes sustainability and public health.
The organisation is proposing key changes for the new Labour government that will benefit communities across the country. “We invite policymakers, businesses, and the public to join us in this mission,” the promotional body said.
Love British Food’s key wishes that can be completed by ministers within existing budgets include cross-departmental collaboration, prioritising community engagement and a ‘Buy British’ initiative.
However, other suggestions that will need reallocation of existing budgets include better food education, clearer food labelling and channelling government investment into promoting the benefits of eating seasonal, quality, local British food.
More ambitious and long-term targets for the UK’s food strategy are free and healthy school meals for all children, and investment in British agriculture. The government should invest more in fresh produce growers and encourage public institutions to incorporate these foods as part of a balanced menu, Love British Food said.
Founder of Love British Food, Alexia Robinson, added: “British Food Fortnight is the perfect time to reflect on the importance of our national food strategy and what it can achieve.
“With the Labour Party Conference taking place during the biggest celebration of British food, we urge the new government to focus on community, education, and accessibility.”
She added: “We believe that by moving beyond simple targets and offering practical support to those working in the public sector, we can make real changes that benefit everyone – from schoolchildren learning about food to local farmers supplying nutritious British produce.”
