We need to talk about food...
LAST Friday I hosted the Stoke Food Summit at Staffordshire University’s Catalyst Building.
It was a very significant and informative event for many reasons – and the culmination of months of planning to ensure we had an excellent mix of inspirational and expert speakers both from our local area and nationally.
Food has to be the most important subject that affects us all. Whether it is counting the pennies to pay for our weekly grocery shopping while the cost of living continues to loom, a concern about the impact of our global food footprint on the environment, or simply having access to healthy and affordable food. Food is a topic that concerns us all.
There is no better place to look to the future of food – from field to fork, than Stoke-on-trent. I am proud to be the first Member of Parliament to host such an event, where speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds could share their thoughts.
Since the days when Josiah Wedgwood used alchemy to create world-leading ceramics, Stoke has centred around fusing culinary heritage, creativity and ceramics – and a strong sense of place and community with food as a central focus, from oatcakes to lobby.
The summit considered the impact of food on our health as well as the environment. I have championed the debate about diet-related inequalities because you cannot level up historically underfunded areas such as Stokeon-trent without addressing these health issues – health issues which impact our children’s educational attainment and productivity levels and put a considerable burden on our NHS.
The summit was opened by Henry Dimbleby, author of the National Food Strategy report. He spoke about the shift in the balance of nature and how animal agriculture has transformed food production, diets and our planetary ecosystem. Food security has become a focus for government in the last two years. We have seen disruptions to the supply chain caused by the impact of the pandemic and risks triggered by both climate emergencies and conflicts, such as the invasion of Ukraine, the breadbasket of the world. Food shortages lead to political unrest, and famine triggers mass migration.
The impact of climate change and biodiversity loss has led to the depletion of our ecosystem. Together with a climate crisis, we also have a health crisis – with obesity levels at an all-time high and disproportionally higher in areas like Stoke-on-trent, with direct consequences for dietrelated, life-limiting ill-health.
Within the food and agritech industries, there are many innovations that will have positive impacts on our health and the health of the planet. With consumers demanding better information about their food, and more awareness of the environmental credentials of food producers, it makes good business sense to invest in healthier options.
The summit also featured representatives from the food industry, the Obesity Alliance, Biteback 2030, local producers, the NFU and agritech, and the chief executive of the Food
Standards Agency.
We were even treated to Carol Shanahan’s confession of how she learnt to cook in Mary Berry’s kitchen after many years living on a diet largely of Findus crispy pancakes before reaching food enlightenment.
The Stoke Food Summit was the start of a big conversation about why we need to adapt and to hear about how this is already happening in the food system.
There is much more to do, and we can only succeed by working together – food producers, the food industry and the consumer, with government playing its part in supporting a long-term shift in our food culture – a more plantbased diet and one less focused on products that are high in fat, sugar, and salt to escape the junk food cycle.
How can we help consumers make better choices without demonising foods that we all enjoy from time to time? Balance is key, and we need a better understanding of how to achieve it. At a local level it also means working together on community schemes to share surplus produce.
I was pleased to welcome local groups Standing Tall 2gether from Bentilee and the Birches Head Get Growing initiative, as well as supporting Fareshare and celebrating the sustainability focus of Stoke College and the University and the work of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.
A special mention must go to Phil Olivant, the head chef at Staffordshire University, for a superb lunch buffet that was entirely vegetarian/vegan and quite simply scrumptious. It made me even more determined that our city needs more healthy and tasty options.