Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Acknowledged
Responsibility for food falls across several Government departments, but there is a risk that food...
Recommendation
Responsibility for food falls across several Government departments, but there is a risk that food insecurity falls between the cracks with no clear lead. The establishment of a cross-Government taskforce looking at food insecurity during the pandemic indicated that Defra recognised the value of coordination across Government. However, the national voucher scheme for free school meals would certainly have benefitted from a faster and more joined-up approach between the DfE and Defra. We consider that Defra has made a good effort to tackle the issue, but it alone cannot tackle the causes of and solutions for food insecurity. The Government should measure and report levels of food insecurity across the country. We recommend that the Government appoints a Minister for Food Security, empowered to collect robust data on food insecurity and draw together policy across departments on food supply, nutrition and welfare in order to deliver sustainable change. (Paragraph 74) Foodservice sector
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees that cross-government collaboration on food insecurity is crucial and states that departments continue to monitor the situation and engage with stakeholders. However, it does not commit to appointing a Minister for Food Security or to specific new measures for reporting food insecurity levels.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
The Government will continue to monitor food insecurity. As part of the Agriculture Bill the government is including a new requirement to lay a report on food security before Parliament at least once every three years. The report will cover a range of current issues relevant to food security including global food availability; supply sources for food; the resilience of the supply chain for food; household expenditure on food; food safety and consumer confidence in food. The report will use data drawn from a blend of national and international data sources. This will include analysis of UK Government published statistics including the Living Costs and Food Survey, Family Resources Survey and Food Standard Agency’s (FSA) Food and You Survey, along with data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. It will also take account of the data published through Defra’s Agriculture in the UK and Food Statistics Pocketbook publications. Lord Gardiner Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity) is the Minister responsible for Food Security and Defra officials continue to work with other relevant Departments on food policy, including school meals (DfE), local authority provision (MHCLG) and the welfare system (Department for Work and Pensions) (DWP). Food service sector Conclusion and Recommendation 16: The closure of foodservice and hospitality businesses was a huge shock for their food and drink suppliers, particularly those providing perishable goods who were unable to find alternative markets quickly. The Government could have done more to anticipate problems that would arise, particularly as it was necessary Government health measures, rather than market forces, that caused severe economic disruption. This was particularly demonstrated by the crisis in the dairy sector, which we are examining in a separate call for evidence.
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