In July of 2020, Henry Dimbleby published Part One of the National Food Strategy, a Government-commissioned independent review into the food system. The report, commissioned by Environment Secretary Michael Gove, was an independent review of the food system, the first in 75 years.
Part One was well received, containing seven specific recommendations, intended to help the most disadvantaged families eat well, protect the UK’s high food standards and ensure proper scrutiny of any trade deals.
Due to the global pandemic, COVID-19, Part One didn’t necessarily follow the intended path but became an urgent response to the issues around hunger and ill health that the population were facing.
For Part Two, Henry and the Defra team turned to 10 Associates once again to help bring the data, findings and recommendations to life in The Plan.
“I have returned to the original brief. In these pages, we will take a close look at how the food system really works, the damage it is doing to our bodies and our ecosystem, and the interventions we could make to prevent these harms. We will consider the characteristics of complex systems and the mechanisms that cause system failures. And we will set out a strategy for the future, based not just on rigorous science but on the needs and wishes of ordinary citizens. In writing this strategy, I have been able to call upon the research, commitment, energy and insight of academics, farmers, scientists, business leaders, charity workers, politicians and experts from many fields, some of whom are on our Advisory Panel.”
Henry Dimbleby
Lead non-executive board member of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The 290 page report culminates in 4 Strategic Objectives:
- Escape the junk food cycle to protect the NHS.
- Reduce diet-related inequality.
- Make the best use of our land.
- Create a long-term shift in our food culture.
The 16 chapters within The Plan examines the numbers, questions the research and explores mathematic models in an effort to recomend how best to reshape the food system.
Read the National Food Strategy – The Plan at nationalfoodstrategy.org
You can also view our work for Defra and Part One of the National Food Strategy
