On 15^th July 2021, Henry Dimbleby has published his long awaited review of what is needed to produce a sustainable and healthy national food strategy for England. Part 2 looks at the entire food chain, from farm to fork, examining how changing the way food is produced and sold in England can help address our health problems, including obesity, and protect the environment.

Calling on ministers to “break the cycle” of a diet he claims is dominated by junk food and excess meat consumption, Part 2 makes no fewer than 14 recommendations.

Dimbleby recommends new taxes on wholesale salt and sugar to encourage reformulation (£3 per kilogram of sugar and £6 per kilogram of salt); and he urges the Government to spend at least part of the revenue raised from these measures on policies to promote health, including making fruit and vegetables more available to people on low incomes.

The report also proposes that we should eat 30% less meat by 2032.  It suggests conventional meat could be replaced by “cell-cultured” meat and says that Ministers should invest in research into novel proteins and meat substitutes, including insects and fermented microbes such as algae.  The report recommends more investment in sustainable farming techniques and calls on the Government to protect UK food and animal welfare standards in new trade deals with countries such as the USA and Brazil.

The report also recognises the importance of food education. It calls for a new “Eat and Learn” initiative for all children aged 3–18 and the re-instatement of an A-level in food. In a measure unlikely to be welcomed by the food industry, it also recommends mandatory reporting for large food companies, which it says should publish annual sales reports by food type in both revenue and volume terms, thus revealing the significance of their sales of “unhealthy” food products. The report argues that this would encourage food reformulation, the provision of more healthy options and improve the marketing of healthy products.  Mr Dimbleby also wants the Government to strengthen the Government’s public sector food procurement guidelines to ensure that taxpayer money is spent on healthy and sustainable food.  Defending his recommendations, Henry Dimbleby said that many food industry leaders had told him privately that they would welcome interventions that created a level playing field while enabling them to produce healthier products, so that they could contribute to ending the “junk food cycle”.

To read Part 1 and Part 2 of the report, click here.

Defra is looking to make changes to legislation to update the approach to the enforcement of Poultrymeat Marketing Regulations (PMMR) in cutting plants and slaughterhouses food business operators (FBOs).

The purpose of this consultation is to seek the views of industry on our proposed amendments to EC543 and Poultrymeat (England) regulations 2011.

It is Defra’s priority to ensure we have a comprehensive understanding of industry’s views of these proposals.

They are looking to ensure that marketing standards are being upheld throughout the supply chain without causing any unnecessary burden to businesses.

The consultation closes 11:45pm on 9^th August 2021

For more information, or to respond to the consultation, click here.

Following the identification of ethylene oxide contamination of the additive locust bean gum (E410) in some food products in Europe, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), in line with other EU Member States is undertaking a precautionary withdrawal of implicated food products.

Locust bean gum is a vegetable gum extracted from the seeds of the Carob tree. It is approved for use as a food additive in the EU where it is used mainly as a thickening agent or stabiliser. It is approved for use in a range of foods including ice-cream, breakfast cereals, meat products, confectionery, follow on formulae, fine bakery wares, fermented milk products and cheese.

The consumption of foods containing ethylene oxide does not pose an acute risk to health, but there is an increased health risk if foods contaminated with ethylene oxide are consumed over a long period of time. Therefore, exposure to ethylene oxide needs to be minimised and contaminated product must be removed from the market.

The FSAI is working with the EU Commission and its Member States in relation to this issue. Similar withdrawals are being carried out across Europe where contaminated product has been identified. The FSAI is also working with its official agencies in relation to the identification of the contaminated additive (E410) that may have been supplied to businesses or food manufacturers in Ireland.

The FSAI will provide updates as and when available, it will also list affected food products as identified on its website.

For more information, please see our Q&A and the website of the European Commission.

On 1 October 2021, a new law on allergen labelling for pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) foods, also known as ‘Natasha’s Law’ will come into force. This means that any food business selling PPDS foods will have to include full ingredients on the product label with allergenic ingredients emphasised within that list.

To help support food businesses, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a PPDS Hub featuring useful information including new labelling guidance for PPDS foods and guides that will be helpful to specific sectors including bakery, butchers, fast food and takeaways, mobile sellers, restaurants, cafes and pubs, and schools. The guides each give practical information on PPDS and how these changes could impact a food business.

The FSA will also be hosting a webinar for food businesses on 4 August at 2pm. The webinar will feature a range of speakers who can discuss these changes and answer your questions. It is open to businesses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.