A lot has happened since the NFU launched the Fit for the Future initiative last year, which set out clear and practical actions to increase consumption of fruit and veg. At the time, we were frustrated that there was too much tinkering around the edges and not enough ambition to really get us all eating the recommended 5-a-day. So we put our money where our mouth was and commissioned a study which sought out the best evidence from across the globe and distilled it into clear advice for the industry and government to take forward. The evidence is strong and it is publicly available; we want everyone with an interest or responsibility in this area to benefit from its learnings. But we didn’t stop there. Over many months we met with businesses big and small, and engaged with key stakeholders to get these messages across. 18 months later, we are really seeing the benefit of this hard work. You only had to have been at the national Veg Summit this week to see exactly what influence we’ve had.
The Veg Summit, brilliantly managed by the Food Foundation (a think tank focussed on increasing consumption of fresh produce), welcomed an impressive array of industry and government representatives. Most of the big retailers were there, alongside major manufacturers, food services suppliers, government Ministers, local authorities and many more. And there were over 40 pledges made to do more to increase consumption of fruit and veg. Of course, we’ve been here before. The government’s now obsolete Public Health Responsibility Deal also had about 40-50 ‘pledges’ by businesses to do more to increase fruit and veg consumption. But these pledges were never tested and there was no comeback if those businesses failed. So why are these new pledges different? Because the Food Foundation will be monitoring progress and reporting back on those that have succeeded and those that have failed. And by the admission of one of the retailers in the room “what gets measured gets done.”
The NFU has been working very closely with the Food Foundation ever since we launched Fit for the Future and they have often referenced the NFU’s evidence as a key influence in their decision making. I was part of a core delegation that met at the back end of last year to set the foundations for the Peas Please campaign, alongside the then NFU horticulture and potatoes board member Matthew Rawson. Here’s a video that set out what we were trying to achieve. Since then, we’ve helped shape the Peas Please campaign by ensuring it reflects the reality of F&V production and incorporates the Fit for the Future principles. At the Veg Summit, it was great to see many of our actions being taken forward and it’s also particularly pleasing when someone (a retailer in this case) makes a statement to the room which you know came directly from the NFU’s work.
It was said that obesity will eventually bankrupt the NHS – maybe sooner than we think. So those businesses that said they would act have a moral obligation to be true to their word. I believe the NFU has played an incredibly important role in nudging everyone in the right direction, and by working alongside the Food Foundation I believe we can make real progress. Importantly, for the first time, I think the industry may finally be aligned on F&V consumption.