Morning, Thursday, 23rd October 2025
Online
This conference will discuss priorities for a new UK Government food strategy and the way forward for implementing policy to support the wider UK food system moving forward.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to assess what will be needed from a food strategy and wider policy for supporting the sector, businesses, and consumers to tackle challenges in food security, sustainable agriculture, and public health. The conference follows establishment of the Food Strategy Advisory Board, which will advise the Government on the strategy with aims to improve the food system and support agri-food sector growth.
Delegates will examine priorities for supporting British agriculture, including opportunities to boost agricultural productivity whilst protecting the environment, following plans outlined by the Secretary of State to introduce a transformative 25-year farming roadmap. With the UK Food Security Report 2024 finding weakened stability to food production and supply chain resilience, attendees will discuss priorities and practical steps for strengthening domestic food security, mitigating rising costs and complexities throughout the supply chain. Strategic options for policy and the agricultural sector will also be considered to better prepare for future challenges, demands, and opportunities.
We also expect sessions to bring out latest thinking on strategies for tackling obesity and improving accessibility to healthier foods, following recommendations by the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee to develop a UK Government food strategy that targets unhealthy diets with aims to reduce obesity rates. Discussion will explore next steps for obesity care and prevention, options for introducing restrictions on HFSS foods, and ways of tackling food insecurity and inequalities by improving the wider food environment.
Further discussions will look at next steps for boosting innovation, research, and economic growth in the agri-food sector, including the practical application of new technologies such as gene-edited and novel foods, to support food security and tackle climate change challenges, as well as expanding R&D and investment into food innovation.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- future outlook for policy and priorities for the Government moving forward:
- recent developments and strategic direction for a new UK Government food strategy to support public health priorities, agriculture, nature recovery, and sector growth
- key lessons from the previous Government’s food strategy - next steps for ensuring sector alignment with goals moving forward
- priorities for regulatory bodies, manufacturers, and government to support the delivery of a new UK Government food strategy - opportunities for collaboration
- priorities for delivering sustainable food production, improving UK domestic food security and maximising agricultural productivity:
- priorities for maximising farmland productivity and resilience - tackling challenges posed by labour shortages - mitigating added costs and complexities throughout the supply chain
- options for improving sustainable agriculture - enabling uptake of nature-friendly farming practices - key issues in pursuit of sustainability goals
- upgrades in biosecurity on farms to counteract risks, such as bovine TB to livestock and to protect the wider supply chain
- the Land Use Framework - examining opportunities for food production, net-zero and climate change resilience - priorities for effective implementation
- next steps for tackling obesity and improving public health:
- priorities for encouraging consumer behaviour change - supporting at-risk groups - implications of advertising restrictions on HFSS products - tackling food poverty - reducing inequalities
- latest thinking on overcoming health-related barriers - improving the affordability of sustainable and healthy foods - key issues for addressing food-based inequalities
- utilising data and technology to tackle obesity and support prevention - opportunities for industry to expand reformulation pilots
- opportunities for innovation and technology to support the wider agri-food sector:
- options for scaling up alternative proteins, novel foods, and gene-edited food initiatives - priorities for encouraging consumer uptake of new products
- expansion of resources, research, and investment into innovation and research projects - utilising technology to support sector productivity and efficiency
