A consortium representing over 50 farming and food civil society bodies and businesses has called on the government to focus on accountability and transparency in the food sector.
The Consortium for Labelling for the Environment, Animal Welfare and Regenerative Farming is made up of businesses including the Soil Association, the Sustainable Food Trust and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission.
It welcomed the appointment of the new secretary of state for Defra, Steve Reed, but in an open letter to Defra urged the new government to commit to accountability and transparency measures that tackled national food security, accelerate the green economy and ensure the nation meets environmental and social commitments including net zero targets.
The new Labour government has said it “recognises that food security is national security”, but it is yet to lay out its its full programme for the food sector and explain in detail how it intends champion the industry.
Among the CLEAR group’s key asks in its letter was a call to press ahead with the introduction of mandatory method of production labelling to foster accountability and transparency.
CLEAR said the measure would empower consumers, drive corporate accountability and support policy in assisting the UK agriculture and food system to transition to a more sustainable and regenerative future. Proposals for changes to labelling regulations were announced by former farming minister Mark Spencer at the turn of the year, with a consultation into its plans launched in March.
It has also asked for the labelling of precision-bred organisms, and claims the current proposals from the FSA fall short and risk consumer trust, creating complications across the supply chain.
“The British public really care about food and the impact it has on their health, animal welfare and the environment,” said Brendan Costelloe, policy and strategy director of the Soil Association. “They expect and deserve transparent, honest and accurate labelling.
“But citizens will continue to be deprived of that right if the shaping of labelling rules is dominated by a narrow range of corporate interests,” he added. “The government must listen to a diverse range of experts and ensure public interest is prioritised over profits.”
CLEAR has also flagged concerns around the absence of voices representing agroecological food production at the Food Data Transparency Partnership, which it described as “alarming” and could risk enabling the industry to mark its own homework.
With that in mind, the organisation has called on the government to ensure the FDTP membership represents a diverse and balanced input from across industry and third-sector representatives, including those who produce our own food.
“We are encouraged by what we are hearing from the new government and hope they can seize the opportunity to bring transformative change to our food system,” said Fidelity Weston, chair of CLEAR. “If the FDTP is the chosen vehicle for achieving this, it is crucial that all sectors and representatives of the food and farming industry are represented around the table.
“CLEAR is well placed to bring together the expertise within its 50-plus-strong consortium in one voice that will support the transition to agroecological farming and food production,” she added.
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