Henry Dimbleby to lead major review of UK food system

It will be the first major review of its kind in nearly 75 years, and will culminate in the publication of a new National Food Strategy in summer 2020.

Dimbleby will be tasked with investigating the entire UK food system, from field to fork, and speaking to people from across the food chain to consider what changes are needed to ensure it is affordable, sustainable, efficient and cost-effective for all.

This will include examining the production, marketing, processing, sale and purchase of food, as well as looking at the consumer practices, resources and institutions involved in these processes.

“No part of our economy matters more than food. It is vital to life and shapes our sense of identity,” says Dimbleby, who is also a co-founder of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

“But there are urgent challenges we must grapple with. Populations are growing, diet-related conditions are harming the lives of millions, and climate change is altering what our land will yield.”

A formal call for evidence will be held shortly, with Dimbleby and his team seeking views from all those who have a vested interest in the future of our food.

Trade body UKHospitality has welcomed the review, with chief executive Kate Nicholls hoping it will mark the first step towards a fully integrated and joined-up strategy that supports businesses across the food sector.

“The UK’s food industry is one our greatest assets,” she says.

“With the country’s food and hospitality sectors so intimately linked, it is absolutely vital to the ongoing success of hospitality that the food industry is supported.”