COVID-19 and food supply: follow up
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Closed
Inquiry
The Committee published its report on covid-19 and food supply in July 2020. Since then, the Government has reintroduced measures to suppress the prevalence of the virus. The Committee is now conducting a follow-up inquiry to update its July 2020 report.
5
Recommendations
7
Conclusions
1
Report
2
Oral sessions
2
Events
Activity timeline 6 events
18 Jun
2021
2021
7 Apr
2021
2021
Report published
23 Feb
2021
2021
Oral evidence
23 Feb
2021
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Virtual meeting
9 Feb
2021
2021
Oral evidence
9 Feb
2021
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Virtual meeting
Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
23 Feb 2021
View on parliament.uk
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Victoria Prentis · Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Will Quince · Department for Work and Pensions
9 Feb 2021
View on parliament.uk
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Anna Taylor · The Food Foundation
Cllr James Jamieson · Local Government Association (LGA)
Emma Revie · Trussell Trust
Fazilet Hadi · Disability Rights UK
Ian Wright · Food and Drink Federation
James Bielby · Federation of Wholesale Distributors
Kate Nicholls · UKHospitality
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the issues of security in food sup… | HC 1156 | 7 Apr 2021 | 12 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
12 results
1
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
We support the principle that schools and local authorities should have multiple options, such as...
We support the principle that schools and local authorities should have multiple options, such as food parcels and vouchers, for providing free school meals to their pupils. They are best placed to know what works best for their communities. It …
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Government Response
Response: Now that schools have fully reopened, children are able to access their meals, free to those eligible, at school. Although the National Voucher Scheme is no longer in operation …
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2
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
We heard evidence that many wholesalers who were providing pupils with food parcels, provided them...
We heard evidence that many wholesalers who were providing pupils with food parcels, provided them in line with Government guidance. However, a minority of parcels were clearly unacceptable. It is therefore unfortunate that the failings of some suppliers, in terms …
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Government Response
Response: Now that schools have fully reopened, children are able to access their meals, free to those eligible, at school. Although the National Voucher Scheme is no longer in operation …
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3
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
We know that during lockdown food insecurity is particularly likely amongst those eligible for free...
We know that during lockdown food insecurity is particularly likely amongst those eligible for free school meals. Therefore, in the event of another lockdown, Government should ensure that families of children who would normally receive free school meals continue to …
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Government Response
Response: Now that schools have fully reopened, children are able to access their meals, free to those eligible, at school. Although the National Voucher Scheme is no longer in operation …
Read more
4
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
Although the intention of the food parcels scheme during the first lockdown was to provide...
Although the intention of the food parcels scheme during the first lockdown was to provide food to the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable, it also had the effect of supporting wholesalers. However, it is right that in designing its support for the …
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Government Response
The Government has continued to take this recipient-first approach forward to subsequent stages of food access support for the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV). Following the first lockdown, priority access to …
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5
Recommendation
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
During the 2021 lockdown, the Government has relied more heavily on supermarkets to provide food...
During the 2021 lockdown, the Government has relied more heavily on supermarkets to provide food to vulnerable groups. We support the principle that where possible people should be supported to shop for themselves. However, if the Government is directing custom …
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6
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
It is imperative that food retailers ensure that their stores are accessible to disabled people.
It is imperative that food retailers ensure that their stores are accessible to disabled people. We recognise the challenges faced in adapting stores to social distancing in the early months of the pandemic, but there is no excuse for ongoing …
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Government Response
The Government is clear that all service providers - including shops and supermarkets selling food - must at all times comply with the law and make reasonable adjustments for their …
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7
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
Without proper data, we cannot take action on the scale required and targeted at those...
Without proper data, we cannot take action on the scale required and targeted at those in greatest need to tackle the causes and consequences of food insecurity. Data from charities indicate that many more people are food insecure as a …
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Government Response
The Government agrees that robust official Government data is required to understand the full scope of the food security picture and support future policy decision making. The report, under the …
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8
Recommendation
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
Ensuring everyone, and especially the vulnerable, have access to enough food is a fundamental duty...
Ensuring everyone, and especially the vulnerable, have access to enough food is a fundamental duty of society and Government. We recognise that this is a goal the Government shares, even if there are differences over how best to achieve it. …
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9
Recommendation
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
We agree that enshrining principles in law is not a “silver bullet”, however, giving the...
We agree that enshrining principles in law is not a “silver bullet”, however, giving the “right to food” a legislative footing would drive action on food insecurity across Whitehall and Government. We therefore recommend that the Government should consult on …
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10
Recommendation
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
Food redistribution helps to provide nutritious food to those who might not otherwise have access...
Food redistribution helps to provide nutritious food to those who might not otherwise have access to it, as well as minimising waste. We reiterate our recommendation that Covid-19 and the issues of security in food supply 25 the Government should …
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11
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
We support the Chancellor’s announcement in the Budget that the hospitality sector will continue to...
We support the Chancellor’s announcement in the Budget that the hospitality sector will continue to receive at least the same level of financial support. However, we remain concerned that those who supply them have not received the same level of …
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Government Response
Response: The closure of the hospitality sector has had a major impact on suppliers within the food supply chain. The Government has welcomed continued engagement and close collaboration with industry, …
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12
Recommendation
Seventh Report - Covid-19 and the …
We welcome the Minister’s assurances that there is no intention to extend the relaxation of...
We welcome the Minister’s assurances that there is no intention to extend the relaxation of competition law for retailers. We repeat our recommendation that the Government and Competition and Markets Authority should review whether the relaxation of competition law has …
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