Food for Thought with Atticus Partners

Welcome to the third 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 drinks 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, we bring you a summary of our recent #AskAtticus event with Shadow Food, Farming and Fisheries Minister Daniel Zeichner, an update on this week’s Global Food Security Summit, and a round-up of other key developments we have spotted in the world of food and drink over the past month.

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].

‘DEFRA’s Priorities Under a Labour Government’, with Daniel Zeichner MP

On the 25th of October, Daniel Zeichner, Shadow Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries, joined us for an #AskAtticus event at our offices in the heart of Westminster, hosted by Atticus Senior Counsel and former Government Special Adviser Peter Cardwell.

Zeichner started the event by committing that food security would be the first priority of a Labour government. He also discussed how increasing pressures on British farmers, such as rising fuel prices, had meant that the UK has become increasingly reliant on imported food. Zeichner suggested that Labour’s approach would involve greater support for British farmers, and he touched on new innovative technologies can help increase British food production and reduce the risk of food insecurity. As part of the discussion, Zeichner focused on the role that net zero and sustainable energy will play in the future of food production and farming, and the role a Labour government could play in driving change here.

Other DEFRA topics covered during the event included the need for accountability and transparency in water and sewage management, supply chain management, animal rights and packaging reform. Throughout the event, Zeichner took questions from the audience, who joined both in-person and online, with those in attendance including representatives from major supermarkets and trade associations, alongside other key stakeholders within the industry.

To stay informed about our future #AskAtticus events, be sure to follow us on X and LinkedIn!

Reflecting on the Global Food Security Summit

The Prime Minister gave two speeches on Monday. Most Westminster-watchers would have taken in the sequel to the five promises originally unveiled at the start of the year. Perhaps less noticed would have been his remarks to the Global Food Security Summit held at Lancaster House.

The PM emphasized two key themes – how the UK’s engagement globally not only helps developing countries who are food exporters, but also benefits our own food security; and the role of science and technology in pre-emptively improving resilience of supply in the face of natural disasters such as droughts and floods.

The focus on the second is of course unsurprising for our tech-savvy PM, who was in the same building just a few weeks ago interviewing Elon Musk. And despite being the Chancellor who cut the aid budget in 2021, there was plenty on how the PM sees UK aid supporting our country’s wider foreign policy goals (the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine both got a mention).

The work of the new UK CGIAR Science Centre being established to drive cutting-edge research on flood tolerant rice and disease resistant wheat, for example, will be watched with interest. But is there a point beyond which even the most cutting-edge technologies can’t account for man-made disasters such as wars and internal power struggles, particularly within insecure food-exporting states, which can disrupt global supply chains? Surely the answer is yes, and begs the question around the domestic aspect of the UK’s food security equation.

Technology can of course also play a key role here, as the forecast increase in the amount of lab-grown food on our supermarket shelves over the coming years testifies to. Yet this facet of the debate also brings in wider issues, for example how the UK prioritises the multiple demands on its land to deliver new housing, allow for domestic food production and host biodiverse habitats, to name but a few. In the absence of the new Land Use Framework (promised this year), the Government’s response to how we maintain the UK’s food security in an increasingly volatile world remains partial, despite the progress this week.

Atticus Out and About

Last week, Atticus Partners visited the Plant Based World Expo, held at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London. With stands from across the plant-based world showcasing their products, the exhibition was a brilliant opportunity for the team to connect with a growing and impressive sector.

Projected to reach $162 billion by 2030, the plant-based industry will be crucial to the future development of the food sector as we become more environmentally aware of the products we source and eat.

What We’ve Been Reading

EFRA Committee vs the Government

The Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has published the Government’s response to its report on Food Security, which was published in July and concluded that there is an “incoherent approach to food policy across government”. Reacting to the Government’s response, Committee Chair Sir Robert Goodwill said: “We are disappointed that in the midst of an obesity crisis, the Government is taking a leisurely approach to tackling unhealthy eating habits and we are also concerned that current Government measures do not adequately track good security, at either the household or the national level.”

10 Downing Street welcomes UK’s agri-food attachés

The UK’s agri-food and drink attachés visited 10 Downing Street on Monday, part of a week of meetings focused on ministers and the nation’s food producers. The group, based in embassies and consulates around the world, works to remove trade barriers, identify emerging international markets and tap into growing demand worldwide for quality goods from UK farmers and producers. Secretary of State for Food and Farming Steve Barclay said: “Backing British farmers is one of my priorities at DEFRA and our attachés do vital work to ensure they get the best possible deals to export their world-class produce.”

G7 nations back strong supply chains

Trade and economy officials from the G7 nations have made a pledge to work together to ensure smooth supply chains for essential goods including food. During the meeting in Japan they promised in a joint statement to uphold a “free and fair trading system based on the rule of law” and to enhance economic resilience and security. Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa pointed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war as the latest threats to food supplies.

House of Lords report on agricultural fungicides

On Monday, the House of Lords published a short paper on agricultural fungicides and the impact they can have on long-term food and biological security. The chemicals can help ensure food availability, affordability and safety, however they can also have negative environmental effects, according to the paper. The Government is due to publish a revised national action plan on the sustainable use of pesticides by the end of the year.

Food price inflation remains high

Despite headline inflation falling significantly in October, food prices don’t seem to be following suit, with prices being 10.1% higher than this time last year on average. iNews reported this month that families are paying almost double for key food items compared to 2 years ago. The Food and Drink Federation said extreme weather conditions have become a “significant challenge” in agricultural production.