Council of Food Policy Advisors: Government's response to the Council's first report

The government is grateful to the Council of Food Policy Advisors for their report. We are already making significant progress on some of the matters covered in the report, and we will consider their views as we develop our food strategy.  

Food Matters said that government should define a sustainable healthy diet for consumers.  This is complex and we are grateful that the Council is tackling it. Information on greener food choices can be found on Directgov. 

The government has also recently concluded a review of consumer food behaviour research which will be published shortly and will give us further insight into why we do or don’t eat healthily and sustainably.

On food procurement, standards are important. We share the Council’s views on the need to consolidate commercial agreements and deals with a regional focus and this is an aim of the government’s Collaborative Food Procurement Programme. We also recognise that there may be potential for the development of regional procurement hubs for suppliers if there is sustainable demand for their services and if they suit a variety of circumstances.  We agree on the importance of training and we are going to improve skills and knowledge in public sector food procurement. 

In responding, we are grateful for the Council’s views on the Healthier Food Mark.  We are now aiming to simplify the mark, and are carrying out a trial to look in more detail at the various criteria which stakeholders have proposed to determine what the mark should look like, before starting the formal pilot when we seek to test organisations’ ability to comply with the Healthier Food Mark itself.

The Healthier Food Mark website was launched earlier this month.  Stakeholders who attended the event on 30 April, or who have been involved in the development of the Mark since April, were notified by email when the website was launched.  Work on the evaluation of the potential benefits and impact of the Healthier Food Mark has already begun and an Industry Group, led by the Food and Drink Federation, is being set up.

Following discussions between the Council and Ministers, the Secretary of State held a round-table meeting on fruit and vegetables and will shortly launch a taskforce – as recommended by the Council - to look for ways to develop new, practical approaches in this area. 

We look forward to hearing the Council’s views on skills, as we know the industry is all keen to work with us to make the food chain an attractive place to work. We also want to hear the Council’s thoughts on how to address food poverty, as everyone should have access to an affordable, healthy diet and extra thinking on this challenging issue would be beneficial.

Page last modified: 24 October 2009
Page published: 24 October 2009

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