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Socks & Sausages We’ve come a long way on food policy, but it isn’t far enough!

Socks & Sausages We’ve come a long way on food policy, but it isn’t far enough!. Kath Dalmeny, Policy Director of Sustain. … and a great interest in socks!. In Caroline’s footsteps…. Coronary Prevention Group London Food Commission NACNE Report Campaigning Working in Hackney….

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Socks & Sausages We’ve come a long way on food policy, but it isn’t far enough!

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  1. Socks & Sausages We’ve come a long way on food policy,but it isn’t far enough! Kath Dalmeny, Policy Director of Sustain

  2. … and a great interest in socks! In Caroline’s footsteps… • Coronary Prevention Group • London Food Commission • NACNE Report • Campaigning • Working in Hackney…

  3. Good food is …health, environment, equity, good jobs, animal welfare, biodiversity, climate change, soil, water, resource use…

  4. 1983: The NACNE report

  5. Agenda of food quality, health protection, suspicion of industrial food processing, sense of “being cheated”, leads to: • Pure Food Act (1860) • Sale of Foods and Drugs Act (1875) • Public analysts • Baby food legislation • Food Labelling & Safety Acts (1990s) • QUIDs legislation • Codex Alimentarius Food policy responds to crisis “The proliferation of newly discovered chemicals and the absence of laws moderating their use, made it possible for unscrupulous merchants to use [food additives] to boost profits at a cost to the public health.”

  6. Improvements in nutrition… • education • provision of free fruit [now limited] • reformulation [mainly salt] • school food standards [under threat] • [limited] junk food marketing restrictions • [feeble] substitution • [feeble] pricing and special offers • [no] regulation for processed food • [no] financial incentives for manufacturers • [endless] guidelines • “Responsibility Deal”

  7. But slow and very patchy… Some useful steps forward Why don’t we legislate? As we do for contaminants and carbon. Why don’t we take food more seriously?

  8. Mars gets to say “the [salty] tomato sauce in our Dolmio sauce range are part of your five a day” General Mills gets to say “our canned sweetcorn [with added salt] are part of your five a day” …and several steps back • 5-a-day – the salty way • “Responsibility Deal” (fruit and veg pledge) = • Promotion of eating more fruit & veg • Repackaging to make ‘child friendly’ • Replacement of items in meal deals • [Feeble] reformulation • Training staff to help people • No work on the balance of promotions, nor apportioningof responsibility for food quality and hence health

  9. …and back… • In July 2012, Dispatches madea half-coated chocolate, bananaand raisin cookie to test industry (IGD) guidelines on5-a-day claims for processed foods. • “Each of our biscuits can contain up to40% of our GDA of salt, and up to 30% ofsugar and saturated fat. After dipping in chocolate, whilst sticking to industryguidelines, we can still say that each biscuit contains half a portion of your 5-a-day.” • Department of Health said: Our licensed logo has guidelines. It’s up to the food industry to promote healthy food. We can trust them.

  10. Mandatory traffic light labelling for fridges, washing machines and cars.But not food! What can we learn from carbon?

  11. 2003: Have things changed? Croydon NHS Trust paid £24k to get rid of BK from their hospitalfacilities contract

  12. Government Buying Standards= 1/3 of public sector) Schools = 1/3 of public sector food + children and education Hospitals and care homes= 1/3 of public sector food+ NHS is biggest employer in UK (and of low-income workers) Solutions: Public sector food standards

  13. Standards, not guidelines… £54m on guidelines and voluntary initiatives to improve hospital food… ..and still counting!

  14. “Standards are a catalyst for excellence”

  15. Solutions: Systematic policy

  16. kkk kkk kkk kkk kkk kkk kkk kkk WWII E.coli BSE FMD Obesity Food policy = crisis management

  17. “Get very cross andnever give up” What power(s) do we have? • Give evidence, measure progress • Expose bad practice – “what’s really going on” • Create a compelling narrative • Write the standards. Write the legislation • Be the long memory (we’ve been in the job longer than them!) • Educate – change culture • Gang up, win friends, build alliances • Embarrass, praise, attack, support, cajole,escalate, nag…

  18. What power(s) do we have? BBC (on Teletubbies junk food for toddlers): “We don’t want this to escalate” London 2012 (on sustainable fish): “We don’t want Greenpeace on our roof” Defra (on government buying standards): “Can we talk about this offline?”

  19. Skew the market

  20. Thank you! Kath Dalmeny: www.sustainweb.org

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