NEWS

Radical rethink of food production required
By Steven Moore

The UK will need to change the way food is produced and processed so that we continue to enjoy healthy affordable food in the decades ahead, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Hilary Benn has said.

He was speaking as he published the UK's first food security assessment.

The assessment shows that Britain iis doing well in many areas which make up a secure and sustainable food system, such as a diverse food supply, which includes UK production, and a strong distribution system.

The challenges will be to ensure the sustainability of the UK’s food supply.

In particular, the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to a changing climate here and overseas that will affect what food can be grown and where and how it can be grown.

The assessment also highlights the availability and effective use of water to produce food – the need to get more crop per drop – and the depletion of fish stocks.

Mr Benn said: “Last year the world had a wake-up call with the sudden oil and food price rises.

"While we know the price of our food, the full environmental costs and the costs to our health are significant and hidden. We need a radical rethink of how we produce and consume our food."

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August 13th 2009
August 6th 2009