Food for Thought with Atticus Partners

Welcome to the latest edition of the Atticus Partners food and drink newsletter: Food for Thought. These bulletins bring you updates on what Atticus is doing within the food and drink space including blogs, our #AskAtticus speaker series and events we have attended, as well as key news and political updates of relevance to the sector.

In this edition, the first of 2024, we bring you some of the key takeaways from our recent roundtable with Steve Reed MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, our views on the effectiveness of ‘Veganuary’, as well as some of the food and drink stories which have caught our eye over recent weeks.

For more information about Atticus’s work in the food and drink sector, or if you have any questions about how we can support you, please get in touch via [email protected].

Food security roundtable with Steve Reed MP, Shadow Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Earlier this year we hosted Steve Reed MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and industry leaders for a roundtable event focused on food security and what a prospective future Labour government should prioritise in this area.

Here are our top three takeaways from the event:

• Labour has been carrying out some polling to establish what the most important environmental issues for voters are, with sewage, flooding and food security coming out as the top three
• Labour believes that concerns around food security are being driven by rising prices in the shops, shortages of certain projects and concern for the livelihoods of farmers. These are therefore likely to be key areas of focus for Labour as they develop their? policy programme ahead of the next election
• Labour are also prioritising the land use framework and trying to understand strategically what the Government’s plans are for this, as well as trade deals and the impact of Brexit, and childhood obesity amongst other issues

Other areas raised during the discussion included the need for increased cooperation between government and industry; examples of innovation across the sector, whether in farming, manufacturing or packaging; increased investment; how technology is being used to reduce waste across the supply chain; and the need for cross-departmental working.

With Shadow Ministers contributing to the potential manifesto last month, it will be interesting to see how many of these areas are reflected in what Labour eventually puts forward closer to election day, particularly given that we understand the small team assembled in Labour HQ to assess submissions has set a high bar for policies to make the cut.

Insights from Atticus Partners

• After a decade of Veganuary, are we now approaching ‘peak vegan’?

Atticus Out and About

British Kebab Awards

Earlier this month, Atticus Partners were invited to the British Kebab Awards – a fantastic annual event sponsored by JustEat, where the British food industry is celebrated.

Affectionately known as the ‘Kebaftas’, this year’s event saw the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, deliver the keynote speech. He championed the diversity across the British food industry, alongside the key role these companies play in both local and national economies, and their positive impact on communities.

It was great to meet so many new people at the event and we can’t wait to attend again next year!

?IFE International Food and Drink Event

The Atticus team will be at the IFE International Food and Drink Event from the 25th – 27th of March at the ExCeL London. Do let us know if you will also be attending and would like to learn more about what we do and how we can support you and your business!

What We've Been Reading

Government underlines continued commitment to British farmers

The Government has underlined its commitment to deliver on its plan to support profitable farming businesses, improve food security and protect the British agriculture sector for generations to come.

Speaking at the National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary announced a range of measures to boost productivity and resilience in the sector, including the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total ￡427 million.

This includes doubling investment in productivity schemes, bolstering schemes such as the Improving Farming Productivity grant, which provides support for farmers to invest in automation and robotics, as well as solar installations to build on-farm energy security.

Ultra-processed food linked to 32 harmful effects to health

Ultra-processed food (UPF) has been directly linked to 32 harmful effects to health, including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death, according to the world’s largest review of its kind.

The findings from the first comprehensive umbrella review of evidence comes amid rapidly rising global consumption of UPF such as cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks, ready meals and fast food.

The topic has been covered extensively over recent weeks, with the British Heart Foundation and the University of Liverpool also exploring the impact of UPF. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson called last week for a collective approach to address the issue, urging consumers to scrutinize product labels and make informed choices.

New regulation highlights danger of supply chain disruption in the UK and EU

Beginning last month, the delayed Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) has come into force in the UK. The legislation requires health certificates on all medium and high-risk products imported from the EU, such as meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables, and plants.

Concerns about new laws and regulations were raised by 40.5% of participants of the BCI Supply Chain Resilience 2023 survey, representing the fifth biggest concern for organizations in 2023. This latest legislation highlights the need for organizations to work on resilient strategies, placing particular importance on the mapping of their supply chains and key suppliers. The survey also highlighted that the main consequences of supply chain incidents and disruptions experienced by organizations in 2023 has been the increased cost of working, loss of revenue, loss of productivity, and loss of customers.

It comes as UK Government has predicted the extra costs of border checks and certification requirements could mean ￡330m a year of extra expenses for businesses.

Farmers are 'a month behind' due to wet weather

The BBC have reported that farmers have recorded rainfall and warm temperatures across British farmland that will cost them thousands in land preparation and crop damage. Farmers in Suffolk described the conditions as "frustrating" and there were fears this year's harvest would be affected.

Last month was the warmest February on record for England and Wales, as well as the wettest on record for southern England. Work on some farms is believed to be at least a month behind schedule.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has responded to the news with fears that the effects of the weather – as the Met Office reported that East Anglia had experienced both its warmest and wettest February on record – could lead to financial and production issues.

For more information about Atticus’s work in the food and drink sector, or if you have any questions about how we can support you, please get in touch via [email protected].