Briefing

DIGEST: Low hanging fruit

29 April 2025

Yesterday, a report landed from the Green Alliance, Food Foundation, and Good Food Institute, on how the government can achieve its four National Food Strategy goals.

A reminder of those goals:

Increase accessibility and affordability of healthy food
Maintain food security
Drive economic growth
Reduce the sector’s environmental impacts

Here’s how the report says the UK can achieve these goals…

REPORT: LOW HANGING FRUIT

A policy pathway for boosting uptake of plant-rich diets (*and achieving the four National Food Strategy goals).

“This policy pathway outlines a series of pragmatic and easily implementable policy recommendations. These actions would give people much greater access to healthier and more sustainable plant-rich diets in a way which would improve the nation’s health, maintain our food security whilst bolstering our nutrition security (by producing more fruit, vegetables and legumes), and support the livelihoods of our farmers.”

GOAL 1: BOOST UK PRODUCTION of healthy & sustainable plant-rich diets & foods

1.Deliver an ambitious horticulture growth plan for UK farmers & growers

To support increased UK production and consumption of fruit, veg, pulses and reduce reliance on imports. The UK horticulture sector offers big opportunities for growth. To accompany the report, Green Alliance has also published a briefing laying out ‘the strong economic case for expanding horticulture’.

2. Finance a new £30 million UKRI plant-based innovation fund

With Defra, focused on taste, affordability, convenience and nutrition, and developing domestic supply chains and on-farm production models for plant-based foods.

3. Implement a Land Use Framework

Identify areas of England where land use/management must change, including through habitat creation and more horticulture. Farming budget spend must align and support farms to increase sustainability of the overall food production system.

4. Better regulate supply chains to give farmers fairer prices and contracts

To enable farmers to invest in more sustainable practices. Groceries Code Adjudicator must have more power and its remit expanded to cover intermediary companies.

5. Invest in UK farming budgets to support farmers to transition

Towards more sustainable practices: For England, £3.1 billion per year is needed to offer fair farm incomes whilst delivering our environmental targets.

6. Protect UK trade standards for food, with the law

Enshrine a set of core environmental and animal welfare standards in law for all agri-food imports, setting a minimum threshold in domestic regulation that imports must meet to access the UK market.

GOAL 2: BOOST DEMAND for healthy and sustainable plant-rich diets & foods

1.Unlock business action by introducing mandatory public reporting

For large food businesses on a range of health and sustainability metrics to de-risk investment in more healthy and sustainable food offerings.

2. Strengthen government procurement rules for food

By making health, sustainability (inc animal welfare) and environmental standards legally binding for the £5 billion annual spend on public sector catering. Extend the standards to local government catering.

3. Restrict advertising for HFSS foods, including processed meat

Adopt the recommendations of the House Of Lords Committee on Food, Diets and Obesity and restrict advertising for foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) across all physical platforms. Close the loophole on HFSS processed meat, currently excluded from government’s forthcoming restrictions on multi-buy deals.

4. Invest in advertising for British-grown fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses

And other plant-rich foods to drive aspiration and to normalise consumption, building on the work of initiatives like Veg Power.

5. Update the Eatwell Guide to take account of sustainability

To take into account the latest evidence on the climate and nature footprint of different foods. Review Eatwell Guide at least once every five years to reflect the latest health and sustainable diet evidence

6. Expand eligibility, improve uptake of Healthy Start payments

In line with inflation to ensure that low-income families with young children and babies can afford the fruit, vegetables and pulses the scheme entitles them to.

7. Review using VAT to incentivise healthier & sustainable meals in catering

This could deliver benefits for public health and the environment in addition to generating government revenues. Further research and modelling in this area should be commissioned.