Food Security

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 25 Jul 2022 Closed: 17 Nov 2023 Parliament page
This inquiry is looking at the pressures facing the UK food supply chain and its implication of UK food security and public access to access healthy and nutritious food. You can read the terms of reference for this inquiry here . Our call for evidence ended on 30 September 2022
15 Recommendations
8 Conclusions
1 Report
5 Oral sessions
1 Letter
5 Events
Activity timeline 13 events
28 Jul
2023
24 Jan
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
13 Dec
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
22 Nov
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
8 Nov
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
David Kennedy · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Rt Hon Mark Spencer · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Dr Kelly Parsons · MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge Emily Hunter · The Woodland Trust Mark Tufnell · Country Land and Business Association (CLA) Professor Michael Winter, University of Exeter, Centre for Rural Policy Research Professor Tim Lang · City University London's Centre for Food Policy
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Anna Taylor · The Food Foundation Lindsay Boswell · FareShare Maria Marshall · Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) Professor Michael Fakhri · University of Oregon School of Law
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Andrew Opie · British Retail Consortium (BRC) David Thomson · Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Ed Barker · Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) James Walton · IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution) Minette Batters · National Farmers Union Will Jackson · Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Henry Dimbleby · Leon Restaurants
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Seventh Report - Food security HC 622 28 Jul 2023 23 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
2 results
16 Recommendation Accepted
Seventh Report - Food security
Facilitate UN Special Rapporteur's visit to assess statutory right to food in England
We support the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food’s request to undertake a Country Visit to the UK, and call for the Government to facilitate such a visit before the end of this year if Professor Fakhri … Read more
Government Response
The government states the UK has a standing invitation for UN Special Procedure mandate holders and its UN Mission is in touch with OHCHR to find suitable dates for the Special Rapporteur on Food's visit.
19 Conclusion Accepted
Seventh Report - Food security
Require mandatory public health metrics reporting and urgent research on ultra-processed foods
The Government has set out three actions that could help encourage healthier eating. On mandatory public reporting against a set of health metrics, this should become a requirement within the next six months. Further research on ultra-processed foods as a … Read more
Government Response
The government described its existing "Better Health" campaign, which launched in July 2020, along with existing tools and regulations like voluntary front-of-pack labelling, calorie labelling, and a pilot rewards app, as efforts to encourage healthier eating, but did not commit to mandatory public reporting on health metrics or specific research on ultra-processed foods.
Government Response AI assessment · 23 of 15 classified

Total 15 recs + 8 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
22 Mar 2023 To committee Letter from the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries to the Committee regarding Food Security, dated 15 March 2023
Parliament page