UK | Sainsbury’s has pledged support for the Good Food Bill, joining calls for industry and Government to work more closely to improve the resilience of the UK food system.
The Bill called for a holistic plan to transform the UK’s food system, ensuring it can withstand challenges such as extreme weather and geopolitical crises and helping everyone access good, nutritious food.
Sainsbury’s support for the Bill has come at a critical time as recent heatwaves across Europe have put the UK’s food system resilience in the spotlight.
The retailer has already taken significant steps to tackle these challenges in partnership with its suppliers, but the Bill would accelerate efforts by outlining clearer objectives to further ensure farmers are protected from both climate shocks and inflation.
“Recent weeks have shown just how much pressure our food system is under. We need a more resilient food system that attracts investment, backs British farmers and helps keep affordable, nutritious food on tables across the nation,” said Simon Roberts, Chief Executive at Sainsbury’s.
“Food and farming should be at the heart of government policy, helping to build a stronger and more resilient future. That’s why we’ve signed the Good Food Bill. Through working together to drive the change we need across government, industry and communities, we can make sure everyone has access to good food for years to come.”
The Bill’s focus on access to good food has also become increasingly important, as millions of children are set to face holiday hunger when term-time support, such as free school meals, is no longer available.
Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief have invested over GBP 8m in Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programmes to help plug this gap, but a more joined-up framework to tackle food insecurity, as proposed by the Bill, is essential to ensuring vital support such as this is sustained long-term.
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