Latest news with #FoodSecurityandRuralAffairs
The Independent
04-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Gene edited fruits and vegetables that last for weeks could hit supermarket shelves
Fruits and vegetables could stay fresher for a lot longer as gene-edited foods could hit supermarket shelves as son as next year. Parliament is preparing to pass new legislation which will allow British consumers to have access to food modified to last longer. The bill has already passed through the House of Commons and will be debated in its final reading by the Lords on Tuesday. It's understood that these gene-edited foods will hopefully allow British consumers to benefit from healthier food with a lower environmental impact. Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner said in a statement to The Independent: 'Precision breeding is a real chance to transform how we grow crops here in England. 'We can turbo charge the natural breeding process our farmers have used for generations to create food that's more nutritious, crops that can withstand our changing climate, and plants that naturally resist disease', he continued. 'This is essential for our farmers to thrive and for our nation's food security. That's exactly why this legislation matters. 'This isn't about abstract science - research trials are already delivering, from tomatoes with high levels of vitamin D to sugar beet that is less reliant on pesticides.' Already, UK crop-growing industries are developing products in line with the new act, supported by the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). The John Innes Centre, a research institute in Norwich, has developed a tomato using precision breeding with a high amount of vitamin D in the fruit and leaves. Another Norwich-based company, Tropic, has developed a non-browning banana, as well as a banana resistant to Panama disease, which could help to reduce food waste. Other crops could include virus-resistant sugar beets, which may help to reduce neonicotinoid pesticides and yield losses that cost the sector £67 million in 2020. Mr Zeichner added: 'It's really exciting that innovations that once took decades could now reach our fields and ultimately our plates in just a few years, and delivering on our promise of sustainable economic growth. 'This isn't just good news for our farming communities but our thriving science and research sector will benefit too, positioning us at the forefront of cutting-edge technology across the world.' The Genetic Technology (Precision Breedng) Act passed into law in March 2023. It outlined a new regulatory framework for plants and animals developed through precision breeding, which is when a range of technologies - such as gene editing - can make the same type of genetic changes as traditional breeding but in a more efficient and precise way. This is different to genetic modification (GM), where products contain genetic changes that could not have occurred through traditional breeding.
BBC News
13-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
North East and Cumbria farmers angry at closure of payments scheme
Farmers across the North East and Cumbria have criticised the government for the sudden closure of a flagship payments Tuesday, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced it would not take any more applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) which pays farmers for nature-friendly farmer Katherine Singer said she was "absolutely devastated" and had "hardly slept" since she heard the news. Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner said: "More farmers are now in schemes and more money is being spent through them than ever before." The government said "every penny in all existing SFI agreements" would be paid to farmers, and outstanding eligible applications would also be taken forward. Nature-friendly farming involves practices such as planting wildflower strips and managing ponds and Singer, who farms in Upper Coquetdale with her husband Chris, said they had been planning to apply for a SFI to boost their farm income next year."Our cashflow for our farm for the next 12 months has just gone up in the air, and I feel gutted, just absolutely devastated, we're the third generation on this farm and we want to stay here," she said. "My daughter is going to agricultural college but I'm so worried for her future." Rod Smith, who farms 1,000 acres (405 hectares) at Beal, overlooking Holy Island in Northumberland, said his reaction to the announcement was "pure anger and disbelief".Mr Smith had been planning to apply for an SFI which would enable him to plant a crop which would improve the quality of his soil."Now we can't do that, we've just been left high and dry," he said. Chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network James Robinson, who has an organic diary farm near Kendal, Cumbria, said the government was "closing the door on farmers". "The SFIs helped create a fantastic landscape for nature and tourists it was public money for public good," he said. "I really do worry about the mental health of farmers because we are under so much strain."National Farmers' Union president Tom Bradshaw said: "This is another shattering blow to English farms, delivered yet again with no warning, no understanding of the industry and a complete lack of compassion or care." Zeichner told the Commons the government planned to "redesign" the programme and said previous schemes had "no way of prioritising properly" the farmers who received said "many, many farmers are now in these schemes and benefiting from them", before adding a future programme could "properly be managed".He also told MPs that the "budget has been spent" for the SFI and a responsible government had to respond to that. Follow BBC North East on X and Facebook and BBC Cumbria on X and Facebook and both on Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Poorest fifth of UK would need to spend 45% of disposable income to afford healthy diet
The poorest fifth of the UK would need to spend almost half their disposable income on food to achieve the government's recommended healthy diet, a new report has found. It comes alongside a warning that healthier food is getting more expensive at twice the rate of less healthy options, with food that is lower in fat, salt and sugar now twice as expensive per calorie as its less nutritious counterparts. It means the most deprived fifth of the population would need to spend 45% of their disposable income on food to achieve a government-recommended healthy diet. This rose to 70% of disposable income for those in households with children. This figure has fallen from the peak seen during the cost of living crisis, in 2021 to 2022, when the most deprived fifth needed to spend 50% of their disposable income to achieve a healthy diet - but it remains higher than 2020 to 2021's figure of 43%. The Broken Plate report also found more than a third (37%) of supermarket promotions on food and non-alcoholic drinks were for unhealthy items. As for advertising, more than a third (36%) of ads were for confectionary, snacks, desserts and soft drinks, compared to just 2% for fruit and vegetables. Fast food and tooth decay The study revealed more than a quarter (26%) of places to buy food England are fast food outlets - and in the most deprived areas, it's nearly one in three. Deprived groups were much more likely to be affected by type 2 diabetes, with those in the most deprived fifth of the population almost three times as likely to experience a lower limb amputation than the least deprived in 2022. Children in their last year of primary school in the most deprived areas were also more than twice as likely to have experienced tooth decay in their adult teeth - 23% compared to 10% in the least deprived areas. Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said: "The Broken Plate report sadly shows that our food system is failing to provide large swathes of the population with the basic nutrition needed for them to stay healthy and thrive. "There is a tragic imbalance in the UK between the food that is marketed, available and affordable, and foods that are healthy and sustainable. Often it is the most vulnerable children in our society who suffer the worst consequences of this."Lack of nutrition can lead to serious health conditions, she said, and can cause children to be unable to concentrate in school and have a lasting impact on mental health. Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner said: "The Food Foundation's Broken Plate report highlights important issues with the UK's food system, with unhealthy diets driving obesity levels. "That is why we will introduce a cross-government food strategy to ensure our food system can continue to feed the nation, realise its potential for economic growth, protect the planet, and nourish individuals."
Sky News
29-01-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Poorest fifth of UK would need to spend 45% of disposable income to afford healthy diet
The poorest fifth of the UK would need to spend almost half their disposable income on food to achieve the government's recommended healthy diet, a new report has found. It comes alongside a warning that healthier food is getting more expensive at twice the rate of less healthy options, with food that is lower in fat, salt and sugar now twice as expensive per calorie as its less nutritious counterparts. It means the most deprived fifth of the population would need to spend 45% of their disposable income on food to achieve a government-recommended healthy diet. This rose to 70% of disposable income for those in households with children. This figure has fallen from the peak seen during the cost of living crisis, in 2021 to 2022, when the most deprived fifth needed to spend 50% of their disposable income to achieve a healthy diet - but it remains higher than 2020 to 2021's figure of 43%. The Broken Plate report also found more than a third (37%) of supermarket promotions on food and non-alcoholic drinks were for unhealthy items. As for advertising, more than a third (36%) of ads were for confectionary, snacks, desserts and soft drinks, compared to just 2% for fruit and vegetables. Fast food and tooth decay The study revealed more than a quarter (26%) of places to buy food England are fast food outlets - and in the most deprived areas, it's nearly one in three. Deprived groups were much more likely to be affected by type 2 diabetes, with those in the most deprived fifth of the population almost three times as likely to experience a lower limb amputation than the least deprived in 2022. Children in their last year of primary school in the most deprived areas were also more than twice as likely to have experienced tooth decay in their adult teeth - 23% compared to 10% in the least deprived areas. Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said: "The Broken Plate report sadly shows that our food system is failing to provide large swathes of the population with the basic nutrition needed for them to stay healthy and thrive. "There is a tragic imbalance in the UK between the food that is marketed, available and affordable, and foods that are healthy and sustainable. Often it is the most vulnerable children in our society who suffer the worst consequences of this." Lack of nutrition can lead to serious health conditions, she said, and can cause children to be unable to concentrate in school and have a lasting impact on mental health. Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner said: "The Food Foundation's Broken Plate report highlights important issues with the UK's food system, with unhealthy diets driving obesity levels. "That is why we will introduce a cross-government food strategy to ensure our food system can continue to feed the nation, realise its potential for economic growth, protect the planet, and nourish individuals."
