The inaugural Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) ‘Future of the UK Food System’ conference brought together retailers, manufacturers, suppliers and food sector policymakers to discuss the future of the UK food system.
The one-day conference took place at The Brewery in London on 1st October, where IGD CEO Sarah Bradbury described a “system under pressure”. Insight director Tom Wakeman outlined the agenda for discussions into how the sector can deliver a “thriving food system” based around strategic pillars of growth, resilience, sustainability, people and health.
Call to action
Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s CEO, delivered the opening keynote. A member of the Government’s Food Strategy Advisory Board, he highlighted the “power of partnership” and argued for a shared goal from industry and Government. Roberts added that Government has a vision for the future but what is needed now is a plan, highlighting barriers to growth including planning regulations and workforce issues creating a lack of long-term certainty.
Other keynote speeches came from Bramble Partners co-founder Henry Dimbleby MBE. Looking at the landscape of the food system, he highlighted the influence that ultra-processed foods (UPFs), AI and GLP-1 agonists are having on the sector and where opportunities for growth may be.
Chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty spoke on health issues in the UK, calling the food system “one of the most important aspects of public health”. He called on industry to step forward and “lean in” to the Government 10 Year Health Plan, urging an end to the “back and forth” of proposal and rejection between Government and industry. He expressed his disappointment in the industry response, which he said leads to confrontation and undermines policy, and argued that regulation can help to “create a level playing field”.
Panel discussions
The event included two panel discussions. Fit for the future saw panellists including Gordon Gafa, managing director UK food and commercial operations Tesco, James Mayer, president Danone UK and Ireland, and Bidcorp UK CEO Andrew Selley tackle issues of growth and strategy in the food sector.
A panel discussion on unlocking rural growth was chaired by IGD’s Graham McLean, with Defra Farming Profitability Review Lead Baroness Minette Batters joined on the panel by Dalton Philips, Greencore CEO, Cranswick CEO Adam Couch and Nestlé UK and Ireland CEO Richard Watson.
Delegates also had the opportunity to hear from experts and ask questions in smaller breakout sessions, covering driving growth, challenges on the path to net zero and waste.
IGD Climate Risk Assessment
Coinciding with the conference, IGD released its social impact report A Climate Risk Assessment of the UK Food System, in which it aims to quantify the financial impact of climate risks on the UK food system up to 2050. IGD used a model assessing four environmental impacts (temperature, water stress, pollinator loss and soil erosion) on ten commodities, which included milk, wheat, soy, potatoes and white fish, based on three different climate scenarios.
Its results revealed that the net financial impact climate change in a ‘business as usual’ scenario could be £2.6 billion by 2050 and a delayed transition to net zero could have a £1.4 billion impact.
“The food system is being tested in ways it hasn’t been before.”
IGD CEO Sarah Bradbury commented: “Climate change is already shaping our everyday reality. Record-breaking heat, persistent flooding, and water stress are disrupting yields, driving volatility, and putting pressure on costs.
“The food system is being tested in ways it hasn’t been before – and those pressures will intensify in the years ahead.”
