FDF: Speaking for the food and drink manufacturing industry Making a real difference
If you want information about anything in thisnewsletter, please call Kate Turner on 020 7420 7129UK is leading the rest of Europe
英语行业分析报告with on-pack nutrition labellingThe first results of a major EU project on labelling clearly demonstrate that the UK isleading the way when it comes to providing Europe’s citizens with clearer on-packnutrition information. Significantly, the FLABEL project also confirms that labellingbased on Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) is the most widely used scheme in the UKand is also developing rapidly across Europe.
This is just one of a number of research studies that will need to be consideredcarefully by policy makers in the UK and in Brussels, particularly given the fact that afuture EU-wide regulatory framework for labelling is currently being negotiated.
Recently, the European Food Safety Authority has published a report that backs thescience underpinning GDAs. The European Food Information Council has conducteda pan-European study into the use of nutrition information. The UK’s Food Standards
Agency has also published interesting research that confirms UK consumers findfront-of-pack labelling valuable in helping them make better-informed food choices.
The food industry is busy digesting the results of all these studies. We remainconvinced that GDAs are helping to improve the food literacy of consumers and weexpect our experiences will continue to drive the debate across Europe.Prince commends sector’s environmental workHRH The Prince of Wales praised the “sterling things” FDF members are doing to reduce
/their environmental impact when he gave the keynote address at this year’s May DaySummit organised by Business in the Community.
FDF’s Five-fold Environmental Ambition was highlighted by the Prince as an exampleof how business sectors could work together to make a real difference. While sectoral
approaches are important, he acknowledged that building such alliances is never easyto build or steer. Nevertheless, FDF and its members have made a collective ambition toreduce their impacts in five key areas, including CO2 emissions.
Healthy eating onthe menu for FDFannual receptionAbout 200 Parliamentarians, keyindustry players and other stakeholderswill attend our annual summerParliamentary reception on Wednesday
8 July, to discuss how our sector has
responded to society’s concerns about
the health of the nation.
Kindly sponsored by Paddy Tipping
MP, this year’s reception will also mark
the launch of a new report highlighting
the work our member companies have
done to change the recipes of popular
brands so that they are lower in salt,
sugar or fat.
Changing products in this way poses
many technical challenges for food
companies and it must be done in a
way that makes no compromises on
product taste or quality. Nevertheless,
we estimate that since 2004 our
members have reformulated
approximately £15bn worth of products.
The reception is being held from 1600
to 1800hrs in the Members’ Dining
Room in the House of Commons.
Please contact [email protected]
for details.
www.fdf.org.uk
Making a real difference
If you want information about anything in this
newsletter, please call Kate Turner on 020 7420 7129
Food industry leader presses
for moratorium on red tape
FDF President Ross Warburton
has urged Government to make
a public commitment to cut
unnecessary red tape as the best
way of supporting the country’s
biggest manufacturing sector
through the recession.
Speaking at our annual dinner,
Waburton said: “It may soundlike sacrilege to law-makers, but Ithink it is essential that we have amoratorium on further regulationand quasi-regulation for the food
industry.”
He added: “I am not talking here about measures related to food safety. Protectingconsumers is our top priority and we will always work closely with regulators toensure people can have trust in the food they are buying.
“But we are worried about the myriad of other legislative burdens, non-evidencebasedinterventions, excessive social regulation, regulatory creep as well asquasi-regulation dressed up as if it had legal power, which all undermines the UK’sattractiveness as a place in which to invest in manufacturing.”Warburton said that such a moratorium should form part of a commitment by the
Government to make food production a genuine strategic priority – one that is giventhe same level of focus as that enjoyed by other manufacturing sectors.
“The UK food and drink industry is a high value manufacturing sector offeringworld class capabilities in the areas of production, logistics, sales, marketing and
innovation. Compared with, say, the motor industry, our sector is twice as importantto the UK economy on virtually every metric. And, of course, we don’t ask for state
handouts when things get tough!”More than 200 senior food industry executives, Parliamentarians and other
stakeholders attended this year’s dinner, at which the Government’s chief scientistProfessor John Beddington gave the keynote address.Scotland’s producers showcase success
The future success of Scotland’s food and drink sector will be based on its abilityto continue investing in product development, innovation, production efficiencies,environmental initiatives and developing a skilled workforce.
This was the key message to emerge at the seventh joint annual symposium hostedby the Scottish Food and Drink Federation (SFDF), the Institute of Food Science and
Technology and The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland.
Key figures from across the industry shared some of the secrets of their success atthis year’s symposium, where SFDF also unveiled video case studies it has developed
to showcase the work of Scotland’s biggest manufacturing sector. The videos havebeen made possible thanks to a Marketing Development Scheme grant from theScottish Government.
Energy balance is
the key to success
in reducing obesity
FDF was pleased that the
groundbreaking work undertaken by
the food industry to help people lead
英语行业分析报告healthier lives was highlighted in a
Government report to mark the first
year of its Healthy Weight, Healthy
Lives obesity strategy.
It was also good to see that
Government is now stressing the
importance of maintaining an
“appropriate energy balance”
between the calories eaten and the
amount of physical exercise taken.
We have long argued that helping
people to understand this energy
balance is critical – one reason why
calorie information has always been
a core element of the GDA nutrition
labelling scheme.
We now look forward to working in
partnership with Government on
its strategy and are keen to play
an active role in delivering further
progress in tackling obesity.
How FDF works
for its members
The Food and Drink Federation
speaks on behalf of one of the most
important manufacturing sectors
in the country, directly employing
almost 440,000 people.
In promoting and protecting the
interests of our members, FDF is
focusing on the issues that matter
most to their businesses and to the
consumers the industry serves:
Food Safety and Science
Health and Wellbeing
Sustainability and Competitiveness
Our front cover picture was taken at the
Aberystwyth factory of FDF member
/company Rachel’s Organic.
FDF President Ross Warburton: food must become a
genuine strategic priority for the Government