Investors recognise importance of the health of the nation

The Food Foundation’s new briefing for food industry investors today highlights the problems of assessing the quality of the industry’s longer-term sustainability and consumer health strategies.

A mandatory framework of regulations is essential for a level playing field to protect investors and in turn the health of the nation.

The food and agriculture sector emits 37% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions with agriculture alone contributing 23%. Land clearance for agriculture causes 80% of global deforestation while a third of the food produced is lost or wasted.

The regulations proposed by the government’s Food Strategy would cover reporting on defined types of healthy and unhealthy food sales, food waste and sales of animal-based versus plant-based proteins. 

The Food Foundation is one of the only organisations producing a UK database showing national food business performance in terms of public health and environmental sustainability, but this new briefing shows the continuing inadequacy of the available data for investors attempting to make informed decisions on which companies have produced any sort of future proofing against the growing challenges faced by food systems.

• Fewer than one in five of the 29 major food retailing, catering and restaurant businesses assessed by the Foundation’s authoritative Plating Up Progress analysis provide data on sales of healthier foods
• Only 22% report sales of fruit and vegetables
• Only 7% report sales of plant versus animal-based proteins.
• Only a quarter of these major food retailers offer high standard commitments to animal welfare standards
• Only two in five are publicly reporting any sort of meaningful data on levels of food waste.

The analysis also shows despite the fact soy grown for animal feed is a major contributor to global deforestation, two in five businesses cannot prove their meat suppliers only use soya from sustainable sources while similarly, almost a third lack data on the sustainability of their seafood sourcing.

The Food Foundation is leading a collaboration with international organisations to agree industry reporting standards and to coordinate investor action for change.

"Given the urgency of the situation, investors should be insisting on mandatory reporting for key metrics to assess performance," said Will Nicholson, The Food Foundation’s specialist working with investors to drive change in the food system.

"There is a need for the entire food and agriculture industry to shift and this requires all companies to report on key data and set appropriate targets not just a select few.

"Benchmarks and data sources give investors comparisons and insights into industry leadership which help them understand direct risks and opportunities, as well as the overall system risks and opportunities across the industry as a whole."

The full briefing paper is available here: 

Notes to editors

Will Nicholson is available for interview.

For media information contact Lois Rogers lois.rogers@foodfoundation.org.uk or call 07770 350822.