Research showing the effectiveness of minimum unit pricing has put further pressure on Whitehall to follow Wales and Scotland’s lead. Nick Hughes reports. Pressure is growing on the UK government to introduce minimum pricing on alcohol in England after a World Health Organisation (WHO) report found pricing measures are among the most high-impact and cost-effective…

FSA report highlights ‘remarkable achievement’ in maintaining food safety standards but health, environment and regulatory risks are set to intensify. David Burrows reports. Food safety standards were “largely maintained” last year despite the pandemic disrupting regular inspections and consumer behaviour, and the upheaval resulting from Brexit. However, there are “significant risks ahead”, warned the Food…

Experts are split over a requirement for out-of-home businesses to provide written allergen information for non-prepacked foods. Nick Hughes reports. At a time when the political wind is blowing in the direction of deregulation, allergen policy has been facing into the breeze. When the teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died from an allergic reaction to a Pret a…

A government white paper promises long-term measures to support a food system that offers access to healthy and sustainable food for all. In reality, it does no such thing, says Nick Hughes. “The UK has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape the food system,” said Henry Dimbleby when he published his independent national food strategy last…

Out-of-home businesses have largely avoided investor scrutiny of their health commitments to-date, but that is set to change. Nick Hughes reports. Is the healthiness of food sold by businesses of any concern to their investors? The answer, increasingly, is yes according to ShareAction the NGO whose stated aim is to unleash the positive potential of…

Plans to roll back regulations means the government has missed a golden opportunity to reduce greenwashing and support responsible businesses. By Nick Hughes. On May 10th the government announced that a new Brexit Freedoms Bill would repeal and reform regulations on businesses and cut £1bn of “burdensome EU red tape”. Eight days later, the chair…

This month’s roundup is provocative, probing and just a little bit plant-based. By David Burrows.  This month it’s impossible not to start with HSBC – now the ‘world’s lunatic bank’ – and its head of responsible investment. Stuart Kirk’s comments at an FT event in May need little introduction given the column inches they’ve generated. He talked of there…