The 2026 King’s New Year Honours list has recognised the achievements of people from across the UK, including key food industry figures.
Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to the retail industry.
Other recipients of the CBE title included Professor Gideon Henderson FRS, Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford and lately Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), for his services to science, and Sebastian Munden, chair of the Pack UK Steering Group and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), for his services to business and the circular economy.
Among those awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) was Daniel Corry, lately lead of the Independent Review of the Defra Regulatory Landscape, for public service.
Paul Freeston, who was lately chair and chief executive officer of apetito, was awarded an OBE for services to the food and drink industry, and for her services to food and health education, Jeanette Smart, lately development officer at the Food for Thought Education Fund at Education Scotland, was also awarded an OBE.
The 2026 New Year saw a number of industry figures awarded the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), including:
- James Buchan, chief executive officer of the Scottish Seafood Association, for services to the Scottish seafood industry
- Richard Clothier, managing director of Wyke Farms, for services to sustainable agriculture and food production
- Professor Simon Pearson, founding director of the Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology at the University of Lincoln, for services to agricultural innovation and education
- Brian Rees, for services to farm safety
- Chef Marcus Wareing, for services to the culinary arts and to broadcasting
- James Whiting, chief executive officer of The Skinny Food Company, for services to the food industry.
A total of 1,157 recipients were awarded honours, with the Government highlighting a “particular focus on those who have gone above and beyond for their communities”.
