Select committee: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Conclusion 2
Seventh Report - Food security
Published 28 Jul 2023
Paragraph 10
Addressed to Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Food Security All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) is a vital document to provide transparency about whether the UK will achieve each of the five elements of food security the Government is required to report on, and the associated risks to them. The analysis within the UKFSR should be central to steering Defra and wider Government strategy and policy-making on food security, and therefore should be as up-to-date as possible. Under the provisions of the Agriculture Act 2020, the next edition need not be published until December 2024, but we believe the current edition published in December 2021 is already out-of-date. We are therefore disappointed that the Secretary of State refused to consider publishing an annual UKFSR.
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Seventh Report - Food security (HC 622), paragraph 10, 28 July 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 17 November 2023 (deadline 28 September 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it "takes all aspects of food security very seriously" but, across the report's recommendations, mostly points to existing measures and gives few new commitments, with some proposals declined or not planned.
- On an annual UK Food Security Report, it says "We do not have plans to make the UKFSR an annual publication" and that the next report will be published by December 2024.
- On the Cabinet Office review of food policy structures, it "agrees with the need for policy coherence and for strong leadership", but points to existing cross-Whitehall structures rather than committing to a review.
- On free school meals, it says it does "not have plans to change the current eligibility conditions" but "will continue to keep eligibility under review"; on a sugar and salt tax, it does not consider "now is the right time".
- On the Shropshire labour review, it is "currently considering the recommendations and intend[s] to publish a response before the end of the year".