News | Wednesday, 15th July 2020
Researcher’s call for more sustainability data in food chain cited in Parliamentary report
University research contributes to Lords Select Committee review
A researcher’s call for greater sustainability data in the food supply chain has been cited in a new Parliamentary report which warns the health of the population and the planet is being put at risk by a failing food system.
Dr Adrian Morley, Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Business School, gave oral evidence to an inquiry by the House of Lords’ Select Committee on Food, Poverty, Health and the Environment.
His research findings on sustainable food systems and food policy were cited in the committee’s final report that urged the Government to ensure that a healthy, sustainable diet is accessible for everyone as part of a 'National Food Strategy'.
As a direct result, the Lords Committee suggested the introduction of a mandatory sustainability reporting regime using data from businesses such as supermarkets and large food processing companies.
The reporting would be designed to encourage pro-sustainability behaviour in supply chains while holding the food industry to account.
In his evidence to the Lords Select Committee, Dr Morley said: “The importance of data and mandating reporting from the food system should be a key priority for the UK Government.
“If we can mandate certain parts of the food system to report different sustainability metrics and incentivise other smaller businesses to do the same, it would go a long way to helping us manage the transition to a more sustainable food system.”
Food poverty
In its report, Hungry for change: fixing the failures in food, the Lords Select Committee suggests that an independent body should be established to oversee the implementation of a National Food Strategy and the forthcoming Agriculture Bill must be used to encourage the production and consumption of healthier food.
The committee outlines how food poverty is condemning many children to a life of ill health and costing the NHS billions of pounds.
Sustainability and health
The evidence provided to the committee by Manchester Metropolitan - alongside experts from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge - outlined how the UK’s food system contributes to around a third of the country’s carbon emissions with recommendations on how agriculture, land use policy and the promotion of sustainable diets could help to address this.
The findings were informed through Dr Morley’s work as Chair of the Good Food Greater Manchester Partnership and EU Interreg-funded project ‘Strengthening regional innovation policies to build sustainable food chains’.
The evidence emphasised the need for greater data transparency in the food industry to allow policymakers and academics to better understand food system dynamics and to enable consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions.
Dr Morley said: “The Lords Committee report shows that there is a huge amount of work to be done to address food poverty and enable the UK to produce and consume healthier food.
“I hope that the evidence we have provided will support the adoption of public health as a public good in the new Agriculture Bill, which would reward farmers who produce healthy food.
“Work is also desperately needed at an international level to address the global challenge of food sustainability. I would encourage the UK Government to take a lead on this, as part of a post-Brexit internationalist approach to food governance.”
