‘Affordable, natural, nutritious food vital for future of UK’ industry Leader tells local Member of Parliament

Rod Addy, the Director General of the Provision Trade Federation has met with the Member of Parliament for Northampton South who is also the Chair of the cross party All-Party Parliamentary Group on Food and Drink.

The Provision Trade Federation (PTF) is a food trade association representing processing, manufacturing and trading companies that cover a wide range of staple provisions including dairy products, cheese, butter, powders, yogurt, short life dairy desserts and dairy drinks, pork, bacon, ham and fishery products, all sourced from UK, EU and international supply chains.

Collectively these sectors account for roughly 20% of UK household expenditure on food, which is equivalent to around £24 billion a year. They support some 130,000 jobs across the UK.

“I raised the real and present concerns our members hold about the Government's reductionist approach to fat, salt and sugars in food, particularly as part of the evolving food strategy.” Rod Addy said after the meeting in Parliament.

“Our members take healthy eating very seriously and indeed they and the wider food industry have successfully and voluntarily driven down the amount of added sugar, salt and fat in products such as yogurt for decades. However, mandatory reformulation in these areas can force food companies to over-engineer products, leading to potential unintended consequences.”

“Tackling obesity-related diseases entails more than just taking another 1 gramme of sugar out of a product and costs processors money, exerting upward pressure on the price of food on shelf. We would also not want to see the consumption of foods with naturally occurring positive nutritional benefits, such as dairy products being penalised just because they also have a relatively high fat or salt content.

“Access to affordable, natural, nutritious food is vital.” Addy continued.

The Provision Trade Federation shared its concerns that the Government's current proposal is to extend the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to milk-based drinks, for example, will only make drinks high in protein, calcium and other vitamins and minerals more expensive for young people and older people.

“Older people for example need protein and calcium to preserve muscle mass and bone density.” Rod Addy continued.

“The Provision Trade Federation feels penalising such drinks also targets the health and fitness market, sending out a confused message to segments of the population who are cultivating good health and fitness habits.”

Other issues that Rod Addy and Mike Reader MP discussed included how food processors are struggling to get planning permission for new sites and that the government should make the process more democratic.

The two looked at concerns that SME food businesses were being hit hard by cost after cost and were not in a good position to shoulder these costs, so are disproportionately affected by them.

The APPG for Food and Drink has a role to debate the policy priorities and issues related to the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, the food and drink sector.

The group will aim to promote dialogue and discussion between industry and politicians through a series of policy roundtables, events and site visits.

It is Chaired by Mike Reader MP and its membership consists of Members of Parliament and Peers from across all the main political parties.

“It’s vital the Government recognises the significant role small and medium sized businesses play in the food and drink sector.” Mike Reader MP said after the meeting.

“I’m pleased to be working with the Provision Trade Federation to ensure their voices are heard and their businesses are supported”.