Thinking green is now well and truly a core part of business strategy throughout the food industry. Suppliers and retailers are finding they can help keep a lid on soaring costs by making changes in the way they produce, distribute and package their products. The UK has been at the forefront of these changes and in Edinburgh yesterday (13 May) all sections of the country’s food industry gathered to hear the latest on sustainability. Here are the key quotes from the event.
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“People like biofuels to be the root of the problem because it would provide a quick solution – but that isn’t what is going on. It is growing affluence in emerging economies. Two populations the size of Europe want to be fed like Europeans” – Dr David Baines, of food industry consultants Acumentia, says the rise of India and China is the reason for soaring food costs
“There is a widening trade gap in terms of food in the UK. We should care that we are depending on the global food market to eat” – Duncan Oswald, of environmental consultants Ecodyn, reaffirms the global context of food industry and sustainability
“Livestock production is unsustainable. Aquaculture has a very big future; it is less damaging on the environment and in terms of quality protein” – Dr Baines believes meat consumption cannot continue on its current trajectory – but points to farmed fish production as a solution to fight world hunger
“On its own, Morrisons buying British lamb is great for social reasons but, in pure carbon terms, it would probably be better to buy lamb from New Zealand. It’s a complex question for consumers to take on board. In terms of the environment, you need to look at life cycle analysis and not just hide behind arguments that do not stand up” – The UK Food and Drink Federation’s Callton Young, on the ongoing debate over food miles
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By GlobalData“The answer is: there is no answer. We have to decide what to do and we decide what to do on the basis of what consumers want. What consumers expect to come from Britain will come from Britain and we will bow to the pressure of consumer tyranny. Any business that ignores customers does so at its peril” – Angus MacIver, group communications director at Morrisons, defends the UK retailer’s policy of only selling British meat
“One of the key technologies of the future is GM but there is a great divide across the Atlantic over GM. On the other side of the Atlantic, hundreds of millions of are people are consuming GM. On this side, there is a frightened population” – Dr Baines backs GM but highlights the divide between the US and Europe over the issue
“GM is going to be very difficult to keep out. Certainly in feed stock, there will be a GM element whether we want it or not” – Morrisons’ MacIver believes GM is inevitable
“The key for government is to bring a more coherent approach to food policy. The food and drink sector is key to achieving our growth potential and we are committed to providing the best possible environment to develop the sector going forward” – Jim Mather, Scottish Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, outlines the role the Scotland’s devolved government wants to play
“There has been a schizoid approach to waste management in this country, which is hilarious and totally stupid. The Westminster government has been lax in biting the bullet on a landfill tax for decades” – Peter Jones of waste disposal group BIFFA, hits out at the UK government’s policy to waste management
“The recycling infrastructure in the UK is inadequate” – Young believes more needs to be done to boost recycling rates in the UK
“We’ve got no right to turn around and say: ‘No, you can’t have that’. There needs to be balance and a meeting of minds” – Dr Baines says West should work East to promote more sustainable practices in emerging markets
“We’ve just spent the last 200 years in a high-carbon industrial revolution. There has to be a low-carbon industrial revolution now” – Jones urges for a push towards a low-carbon economy
