Benn unveils plan to boost UK food and ‘grow your own’

Plans to boost food production in Britain and reduce its impact on the environment have been unveiled.

The government’s 20-year food strategy includes making land available for people to grow their own food and more healthy cooking courses.

Minister Hilary Benn said shoppers had led the push for free-range eggs and could do the same for sustainable food.

The Tories said ministers “belatedly” recognised the need for food security after a decade of declining production.

Environment Secretary Mr Benn unveiled the government’s Food 2030 plan at the Oxford Farming Conference and said a rising population and climate change meant food could not be taken for granted.

Smaller portions

The document includes proposals for a “healthy food code of conduct” to help people choose what food to buy – ideas include clearer labelling, smaller portions for “energy dense” or high salt foods, reducing fat and sugar in foods and nutrition information on restaurant menus.

The government also wants less food waste, more food bought in season to reduce environmental impact and to encourage people to buy sustainably-farmed food.

It says it will pilot healthy cooking classes for “at risk” families as part of efforts to tackle obesity and will help local landowners and community groups work together to make land available temporarily, to grow food.

Read more . . .

Related articles by Zemanta

• Tory plan to ‘curb’ supermarkets (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Food labels to show ‘carbon footprint’ under Government plans (telegraph.co.uk)
• Parties unveil food strategies (newstatesman.com)
• Sustainability Majors on the Rise at Colleges (usnews.com)

Random Posts:

• Mobiles offer new view of reality
• Electric Icarus: NASA Designs a One-Man Stealth Plane
• Neighborhood Grids Promise Energy Gains
• Pay to Play
• Liquid Granite: Building Material Of The Future Unveiled

Related posts:

1. ‘Radical rethink’ needed on food
2. False fears threaten food supplies
3. World’s Healthiest Food
4. ‘Freezer plan’ bid to save coral
5. Food for the Soul

Tags: climate change, food, food security, government, Hilary Benn, Obesity, Oxford Farming Conference, sustainability

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 9:59 pm and is filed under BBC, Consider This, Innovation Needed, economics, environment, food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.