Sustainable plan for food industry

The UK food industry’s impact on resources such as energy and water is the focus of a new strategy published this week. The Food Industry Sustainability Strategy sets out a series of targets for the sector on issues including carbon emission reduction, water usage, waste and transportation, and looks to address the industry from “the farm gate to the consumer’s plate”.

Using 1990 as a baseline, the strategy aims for the industry to cut emissions by 20% by 2010, reduce water use by 10-15% and lower its food waste by 15-20%. Ethical trading issues are also covered in the strategy.

The strategy was developed in cooperation with the food and drink industry, and programmes such as the Carbon Trust, Envirowise and the Waste Resources Action Plan (WRAP), which raises hopes of the initiative being a success.

"As an industry the food sector has a significant role to play in achieving a sustainable future for this country,” said Margaret Beckett, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, launching the strategy. "Sustainability requires behavioural changes, in particular the widespread adoption of best practice. We all have a role to play in meeting the challenge of sustainability. The Strategy will provide a framework for the food and drink sector to play its part by making sustainability its goal. It must be viewed as the beginning of a process - not the end."