Friday bites
A carefully curated newsletter containing the most important stories from the past week.
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Food chain vulnerabilities exposed again
Resilience has once again been the watchword in a week when the European food chain fell victim to a second cyber attack in the space of a month
Chancellor fails to put bounce in business step
Healey’s budget contained lots of small giveaways but little in the way of headline reforms, with big decisions over public spending largely put off until next autumn’s spending review.
Coalition calls for urgent action to save abattoirs
A group including farmers, businesses and animal welfare groups is calling on the UK Government to step in and save small local abattoirs from going out of business
Foodservice key to organic growth plan
Defra has published a long-awaited ‘Organic action plan for England’, which sets a pathway for tripling organic farming over the next decade
UK complacent over food system threats
Growing disquiet over a lack of leadership from politicians and business leaders in addressing the vulnerabilities of the UK’s food system was summed up in two letters dispatched to Whitehall
Industry insiders return with stark food warning
Another summer of extreme weather, coupled with the threat posed by the approaching El Niño, has prompted a fresh warning by industry whistle-blowers over the UK food system’s vulnerability to such shocks
IGD seizes the initiative over food strategy
There has been confusion and concern expressed over the “next phase” of England’s national food strategy, as food policy experts lined up to question the increasing role of industry in developing the framework
Manufacturers pledge to publish healthy sales data
Five leading food and drink manufacturers sought to get ahead of the regulatory curve this week by pledging to publish data on the healthiness of their product portfolios
EU food procurement to reward sustainability
Food has been recognised as a priority sector in a new EU regulation designed to modernise and simplify the bloc’s public procurement framework, as well as reward environmental, ethical and social qualities rather than just prioritise cost
Fears for Scottish Food Commission after integration
The eyes of food policy watchers were cast north of the border this week as the Scottish Government announced its programme for government for the next five years
