Food - Our future relationship...it’s complicated
Everyone has an interest in food and drink, but the way we eat and drink is complicated. It affects our health and our planet in ways we don’t know much about yet.
The world is changing and behind the scenes, researchers, governments and food producers are trying to understand more about this and how it could affect you.
On the 18th of February, 200 leading experts gathered at the Food Standards Agencies (FSA) ‘Our Food Future’ summit to discuss what we all can do to get the best food outcome for people in the UK.
They want people to understand the truth about where our food comes from and what’s in it, and to have access to an affordable healthy diet, now and in the future.
The summit was broadcast via a live and interactive webcast and the team at Induction Junction were delighted to join in the conversation. We even made it on the summary page with Leonardo de Caprio!
The research had already indicated that consumers, when given the information they need, want to have a say in #OurFoodFuture. There is a general belief that we’ve lost our connection to the food system and feel powerless in our relationship with food. The summit being a chance to start and change that and have a voice.
Thousands of people got involved on the day and fed in views on everything from obesity, food prices, wonky veg and climate change!
Working alongside partners such as Which?, the Wellcome Trust, Global Food Security Programme, Defra, Food Standards Scotland and ScienceWise, the new research revealed at the summit gathered from the view, voices and practices of the UK public in relation to food, now and in future tells us people feel they have lost their connection to the food system and want to make more informed choices.
Key themes that were chewed over were:
In the UK alone, we produce less than 60% of our own food and import the rest from over 180 countries.
It’s predicted that there could be more than 9 billion people in the world by 2050.
Climate change and rising income in developing countries will change the global picture.
New technology and new sources of food will change what’s available.
Complex pressures on supply chains bring challenges – traceability, volatile prices and even crime.
The FSA is seeking to open up the conversation between industry experts and the UK public on the subject of the future of our food and food systems. The summit is just the beginning of what is hoped will be an ongoing dialogue and knowledge-sharing partnership.
The public’s role in this program is right at heart of the agenda. It is hoped that the FSA’s Our Food Future programme, and other work like it, will see the public more fully involved from here on.
One theme we particularly liked was to #stopthinkchoose – good advice in any relationship!
Being part of the conversation about our food future so that it protects your interests and respects your rights is important to us – is it to you?
Part of our role as FSA campaigns partner is to help people to navigate the changes that the future will bring. We look forward to following where the conversation goes to next…
Watch the video here:
Link to FSA ‘Our Food Future’ website page:
http://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/campaigns/ourfoodfuture#wyntk
Background/Context:
Since its launch in 2000, the FSA has followed its founding pledge that “We will put consumers first in everything we do” (FSA 2015a: 4). The Strategy for 2015-20 reaffirms that, and adds some new responsibilities, including to ensure consumers have “the right to the best food future possible”
The impressive line-up of Speakers included:
Professor Charles Godfray, Director, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food
Dr Richard Swannell, Director of Sustainable Food Systems, WRAP
Professor Chris Elliott, Director, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast
Professor Susan Jebb, Professor of Diet and Population Health, University of Oxford
Judith Batchelar, Director of Sainsbury's Brand, J Sainsbury plc