Investor Summit 2025
The Food Foundation hosted its second UK investor conference dedicated to food systems in April 2025
More than 100 investors and business leaders attended The Food Foundation's second Investor Summit to discuss the urgent need for the food system and new food strategy to start supporting health and environment goals in order to keep a focus on long term economic profitability and resilience.
Reshaping the food system
The UK is rapidly running out to time avert the climate crisis, protect an NHS struggling to cope with the demands of diet-related ill health, and support farmers and growers being priced out of the market.
But change is possible. Many food businesses and investors are taking bold action to improve the food system so it better serves citizens and the planet, such as Greencore, Riverford, and Sitopia Farm in Greenwich. Watch the video below to find out more.
Investing in a healthier, sustainable food system
What did we achieve?
The summit, Rewriting the recipe: Investing in a healthier, sustainable food future, held in partnership with City St George’s, University of London, was set up in recognition of the key role investors have to play in food system transformation. It highlighted the link between the need for greater transparency and action from the food and beverage sector and that this could unlock more opportunities for long-term investor returns.
International broadcaster and financial commentator Susannah Streeter set the scene as she opened the event, while Food Foundation Executive Director Anna Taylor spoke about the unique opportunity that a new food strategy could bring to help establish the foundations for long term change in the food system so that it can deliver outcomes that support people’s health, planetary health and food security.
Christina Vogel, Professor in food policy at City St George's University of London touched on her vision for policy developments to drive a more healthy and sustainable food system.
We were honoured to have Henry Dimbleby, former government food tsar and author of National Food Strategy, as a keynote speaker. He talked about the importance of ensuring nature is visible and making it less attractive to both buy and sell the foods that are harming nature and health in the government's upcoming Food Strategy.
Mr Dimbleby said: "Our economy is inside nature, not external to it. Currently the food system is the largest cause of biodiversity loss, of water pollution and stress and the second greatest cause of climate change. It is also the largest cause of avoidable ill health by far. We need to start doing things differently.
"The Government Food Strategy must make sure nature is visible and make it less attractive to both buy and sell the foods that are harming nature and health. This can be done through measures such as tax and banning HFSS advertising. The Food Strategy needs buy in from the Prime Minister and if action is taken quickly at the beginning of the term, this could lead to really meaningful change."
Panel Sessions
The first panel discussion - Rewriting the recipe: Driving transparency and tackling corporate influence for a healthier, sustainable food future - explored policy changes to help improve transparency and support a business transition to a more a more sustainable and healthier food system and raised questions around conflicts of interest, the opaque nature of food industry lobbying in the UK covered by this Food Foundation report and lack of reporting hindering progressive food policy development.
Speakers included: Sandra Bogelein, Lead Analyst, the Climate Change Committee, Kirsty Saddler, Director of Health & Sustainability Programmes, Institute of Grocery Distribution, Rachel Crossley, Head of Stewardship, Europe, BNP Paribas Asset Management and Stuart Gillespie, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at IFPRI and author of Food Fight: From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet.
Food Foundation Investor Summit 2025 panel
The second panel - Unlocking opportunities at the intersection of food, health and innovation - discussed where there are opportunities for investors & businesses to support food and health outcomes through technological and finance innovation, including examples of how transparency can unlock investment opportunities."
Speakers included: Joseph Gridley, CEO, Soil Association Exchange, Fran Haycock, Head of Sustainability, Greencore, Antony Yousefian, Founder, The First Thirty, and Jennifer Burrett, Director, Sustainability & Client Advisory, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.
Food Foundation Investor Summit panel
Senior officials from several major companies attended, including HSBC, BNP Paribas, Greenbank, the think tank Planet Tracker, and NGOs Feedback and ShareAction.
Members of The Investor Coalition on Food Policy, a coalition of 35 investment organisations, representing £6 trillion in assets under management were also in the room. Outgoing Chair, Sophie Lawrence, Stewardship and Investment Lead and incoming Chair, Matt Lomas, Engagement Director- investment, Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation showcased the group's impact so far.
For analysis of our Corporate Lobbying briefing listen to our latest podcast
