Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support local and sustainable horticulture.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
At the recent Farm to Fork Summit the Prime Minister made a commitment to maintain food production at current levels, where 60 per cent by value of all the food we need is sourced domestically. A wide range of measures to support the horticulture sector were announced, including a replacement Fruit & Vegetables Aid Scheme for England from 2026. Also announced was a review of the horticulture supply chain to help ensure farmers are paid a fair price for their produce.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will work with supermarkets to ensure that customers can filter for and select cuts of meat with (a) Welsh and (b) UK origin when shopping online.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra meets regularly with food retailers and producers to discuss a range of issues and explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of food of UK origin. Current laws require origin labelling for foods where the consumer would be misled if the origin of the food were not given. In addition there are rules for compulsory origin labelling of beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat and poultry meat, fish and shellfish, honey, olive oil, wine and most fruit and vegetables. Where origin information is not required, it can still be provided as long as it does not mislead. The same level of information on a food label must be available online to the consumer, before a purchase is made.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many actions have been brought by small-scale growers of fruit and vegetables against alleged unfair practices pursued by supermarkets following the recent interruptions to the supply chain; and how many of these actions have culminated in fines where growers were found to have been disadvantaged by the supermarkets.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government does not hold such information. The Groceries Code Adjudicator enforces the Groceries Supply Code of Practice which ensures the 14 largest grocery retailers treat their direct suppliers, including suppliers of fruit and vegetables, lawfully and fairly. Any direct supplier to a regulated retailer that is experiencing issues should contact the GCA whose details are available on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential effects on health of increasing the School Food Standards minimum requirement of one portion of vegetables or salad per day; and whether she has plans to review the School Food Standards.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Obesity is a complex problem caused by many factors. The Department of Health and Social Care launched ‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’ in July 2020. The strategy demonstrates an overarching campaign to reduce obesity and takes forward actions from previous chapters of the childhood obesity plan, including the ambition to halve the number of children living with obesity by 2030.
The Department for Education (the Department) wants pupils to be healthy and well nourished and encourages a healthy balanced diet and healthy life choices through school funding, legislation, and guidance. The Standards for school food are set out in The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. They are designed to ensure that schools provide pupils with healthy food and drink options, and to ensure that pupils get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.
The Department has committed to support schools to improve their sustainable practices on food. Schools can voluntarily follow the Department’s buying standards, which include advice about sustainable sourcing. The Department also recognises the importance of plant based foods from a health and environmental point of view. The School Food Standards already allow schools the freedom to provide plant based meals as needed.
The School Food Standards ensure the right foods are available for pupils every day. Schools are required to provide one or more portions of vegetables or salad as an accompaniment. One or more portions of fruit must be provided every day and at least three different fruits and three different vegetables each week. My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, have not met on this matter.
The Department believes that the current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in England continue to receive high quality and nutritious food, that builds healthy eating habits for life. The Department is keeping the standards under review.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she made of the potential impact of the School Food Standards on (a) children’s health and childhood obesity and (b) the Government’s net zero carbon strategy.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Obesity is a complex problem caused by many factors. The Department of Health and Social Care launched ‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’ in July 2020. The strategy demonstrates an overarching campaign to reduce obesity and takes forward actions from previous chapters of the childhood obesity plan, including the ambition to halve the number of children living with obesity by 2030.
The Department for Education (the Department) wants pupils to be healthy and well nourished and encourages a healthy balanced diet and healthy life choices through school funding, legislation, and guidance. The Standards for school food are set out in The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. They are designed to ensure that schools provide pupils with healthy food and drink options, and to ensure that pupils get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.
The Department has committed to support schools to improve their sustainable practices on food. Schools can voluntarily follow the Department’s buying standards, which include advice about sustainable sourcing. The Department also recognises the importance of plant based foods from a health and environmental point of view. The School Food Standards already allow schools the freedom to provide plant based meals as needed.
The School Food Standards ensure the right foods are available for pupils every day. Schools are required to provide one or more portions of vegetables or salad as an accompaniment. One or more portions of fruit must be provided every day and at least three different fruits and three different vegetables each week. My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, have not met on this matter.
The Department believes that the current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in England continue to receive high quality and nutritious food, that builds healthy eating habits for life. The Department is keeping the standards under review.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with food producers on potential food shortages in the context of the drought in Spain.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.
In February, some supermarkets applied item limits to a small number of fruit and vegetables due to poor weather affecting the harvest in Spain and North Africa. Supply is now at a manageable level due to improvements in supply from these regions, imports from the Netherlands and produce from domestic harvests becoming available.
We are aware that parts of Spain are facing drought conditions. However, our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 61% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.
Defra is closely monitoring markets and supply chains to explore the factors that have contributed to ongoing supply chain pressures and is considering how government and industry can work together to mitigate them, in the short and longer term.
For example, I met with major retailers on 27 February to discuss supply issues, their procurement contracts with growers and how to work together to find solutions.
In addition, on 3 March, I also visited Thanet Earth to discuss the opportunities and challenges for growers within the horticulture sector. Defra has been engaging with primary producers and trade associations such as the British Growers Association, to assess potential risks to the supply of fruit and vegetables.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all consumers have access to a balanced, healthy and affordable diet given the increases in the price of fruit and vegetables.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government Food Strategy sets out a plan to transform our food system to ensure it is fit for the future.
We want to see a sustainable food system, from farm to fork and catch to plate, seizing on the opportunities before us, levelling up every part of the country and ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious and healthier food.
A healthy diet is a key component of good health and the Government advises people to follow the Eatwell Guide. Encouraging more people to follow the Eatwell Guide will have a substantial benefit on health as well as the environment.
To protect the most vulnerable from the worst of cost-of-living pressures, the Chancellor recently announced a package of targeted support worth £26 billion, which includes continued support for rising energy bills.
For 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. A separate £300 payment will be made to pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment.
The Government is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to tackling poverty and supporting people on lower incomes. More than 8 million families on means-tested benefits received a payment of up to £650 in 2022, made in two lump sums. This includes all families entitled to a payment of: Universal Credit, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Pension Credit.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the health impacts of ultra-processed foods on children and families with low incomes.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy, balanced diet in line with the United Kingdom’s healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, which shows that foods high in fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often or in small amounts. UK Government dietary guidelines are based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). SACN is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health and aims to publish its initial assessment in the summer of 2023.
There is currently no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods. However, a diet high in foods classified as processed is often high in calories, salt, saturated fat and sugar and low in fibre, fruit and vegetables, which is associated with an increased risk of obesity and developing chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
We have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on improving health and wellbeing, including measures to improve diets. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, salt or sugar in key selling locations in store and online came into force on 1 October 2022. We are also working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for people to make healthier choices. There have been no discussions with NHS England on the introduction of dietary guidelines on ultra-processed foods.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of percentage targets to reduce consumption of ultra-processed food.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy, balanced diet in line with the United Kingdom’s healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, which shows that foods high in fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often or in small amounts. UK Government dietary guidelines are based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). SACN is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health and aims to publish its initial assessment in the summer of 2023.
There is currently no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods. However, a diet high in foods classified as processed is often high in calories, salt, saturated fat and sugar and low in fibre, fruit and vegetables, which is associated with an increased risk of obesity and developing chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
We have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on improving health and wellbeing, including measures to improve diets. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, salt or sugar in key selling locations in store and online came into force on 1 October 2022. We are also working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for people to make healthier choices. There have been no discussions with NHS England on the introduction of dietary guidelines on ultra-processed foods.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with NHS England on the introduction of dietary guidelines on ultra-processed foods.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy, balanced diet in line with the United Kingdom’s healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, which shows that foods high in fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often or in small amounts. UK Government dietary guidelines are based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). SACN is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health and aims to publish its initial assessment in the summer of 2023.
There is currently no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods. However, a diet high in foods classified as processed is often high in calories, salt, saturated fat and sugar and low in fibre, fruit and vegetables, which is associated with an increased risk of obesity and developing chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
We have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on improving health and wellbeing, including measures to improve diets. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, salt or sugar in key selling locations in store and online came into force on 1 October 2022. We are also working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for people to make healthier choices. There have been no discussions with NHS England on the introduction of dietary guidelines on ultra-processed foods.