The Scottish Mail on Sunday

Dear Prime Minister,

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We’ve known for generation­s that good pandemic food is the backbone of good health. has raised the stakes. Now, But the more than ever, we need to make sure access to affordable, good-quality and everyone has sustainabl­e food to help people be healthier, happier and more resilient.

The UK is at a crossroads that will affect what we eat for generation­s to come. we’re currently negotiatin­g with countries

The trade deals across the world will determine what our supermarke­t shelves and in our shopping ends up on baskets. If we don’t get this right, progress made as a result of your Government’s obesity and health strategy could be wiped out.

We all want trade – but let’s not enter a race to the bottom and allow low-quality to flood the UK. Chlorinate­d chicken products will be just the tip of the iceberg. We’re meat produced with growth hormones talking about illegal and high amounts of antibiotic­s, crops grown with pesticides that are harmful to bees, and products, a flood of sugary and ultra-processed promoted with massive marketing spends and without clear labelling to tell us what we’re really eating.

We must not lose control of what ends up on the plates of British children. If wrong, the impact on their health will we get this be profound. It will be the most vulnerable communitie­s who will suffer the most. in our

Bad trade deals will also have a worrying environmen­t and on animal welfare. Two impact on the things that the British public cares deeply about.

The UK has a fantastic opportunit­y to set out our stall as Brand Britain, standing high-quality food that is produced to for high animal welfare and sustainabi­lity

Producing exports that resonate all over standards. the world.

More than one million people have already signed the petition to #SaveOurSta­ndards. response, the Government has launched In teeth, a new Trade and Agricultur­e Commission. will last only six months, and worryingly But it lacks health, environmen­tal doesn’t include people who issues, or animal understand child welfare.

We want to ensure that environmen­tal, animal welfare and food-safety standards enshrined in law and upheld in all UK are produced and imported products. We

Trade and Agricultur­e Commission that want to see a strong can offer genuine checks and balances, membership including public health and with a broader environmen­tal voices.

And we want to see the Government implement plans to reduce child obesity quickly, including having clear nutrition labels on all products and restrictio­ns on junk-food advertisin­g.

Let us build a healthier Britain. We must not trade away our children’s futures.

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