“Our jury judged that an ‘80% from UK’ target for publicly procured food is a FLAWED idea if it is centred only on where the food is grown, reared or produced… However, a target to source more of certain foods that can readily be produced in the UK could be promising, IF stipulations are also in place for how these foods are produced.”
Our latest Food Policy on Trial put a policy idea ‘in the dock’, namely should there be an ‘80% from UK’ target for publicly procured food? We heard evidence and insights from five expert witnesses, before they were questioned by participants and by our jury, made up four members of the Food Ethics Council. After deliberating, our jury came to its verdict.
Click on the download pdf button for the full verdict and summary of evidence. While this is the verdict our own jury came to, we’d love you to watch the video back and come to your own judgement…
Expert witnesses:
- Minette Batters (President, NFU)
- Ian Wright (Co-Chair, Food & Drink Export Council; Columnist for The Grocer, Partner at Acuti Associates; and former Chief Executive of Food and Drink Federation)
- Catherine McBride(Economist, Senior fellow at the Centre for Brexit Policy and Trade & Agriculture Commission member)
- Tim Radcliffe (Net Zero Food Programme Manager, NHS England)
- Jayne Jones (Immediate past chair of local authority group ASSIST FM; former Senior Manager, Catering, Cleaning, Commercial events, food strategy, Argyll and Bute Council; now Assistant Director, Facilities and Production at NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde)
Jury of members of the Food Ethics Council:
- Pete Ritchie (Director, Nourish Scotland) – chairing the discussion
- Dr Nigel Dower (Honorary Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Aberdeen)
- Elta Smith (Independent researcher, writer and consultant)
- Albert Tucker (Independent consultant, social entrepreneur + Chair, Karma Cola Foundation)