Foodaware

Foodaware; the Consumers’ Food Group, coordinates the broad consumer movements' work on food safety, nutrition and standards.

 

Its mission is to give UK consumers a strong voice on food policy by bringing together the organisations that represent them. They also consult and support UK consumer representatives on food related committees, and further the public understanding of science. Its members are consumer-, women’s-, family-, ethnic minority- and enforcement organisations, who also contribute time and expertise to its representations.)

Foodaware has produced a draft paper in response to the Stern Review published, last autumn. There follows an extract of the paper.

The Stern review raised the profile of climate change, forcing politicians to recognise the seriousness of the issue and its anticipated economic and social consequences.

Agriculture is a significant, but not the main, contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Within the EU, agriculture accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Scientists are now growing crops to cope with climate change. They have uncovered a gene in barley that controls how the plant responds to seasonal changes in the length of the day. This shifts the time of year that the plant flowers and is key to understanding how plants have adapted their flowering behaviour to different environments, and may have other applications. Yet, consumers remain uncomfortable about genetic engineering and there will be issues in relation to the availability and nutritional quality of food grown under different climatic conditions. But to what extent will these differ from the challenges different countries face today and the ongoing impact of new technology, and improved scientific understanding on agriculture and husbandry and thereafter on the food available in the shops?

The varieties of crops grown in the UK are suited to the soil, seasons and traditional cool, wet summers. Later flowering in barley means it has a longer growing period to amass yield. If British summers get hotter and drier we will need types of wheat, barley and other crops that flower earlier, like Mediterranean varieties, to beat summer droughts. However, new varieties will need to be adapted in all other ways to UK conditions.

The full report, of which the above is an extract, can be downloaded. It poses some questions:

• How should Foodaware develop its policies in response to the challenge of climate change?
• What are the aspects of the topic where we could have an influence on emerging policies?
• Where can we make a difference?
• How?

Among the criteria they could consider in judging whether and what aspects they should follow up are:

Importance
Impact
Priority (within the membership, stakeholders)
Policy actions
Lobbying opportunities

Foodaware could take a number of approaches from monitoring the situation to proactive involvement in the issue. Some guidance from its members on the way forward would be helpful.
Areas of existing policy of relevance are: 
Sustainability of the food supply
Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy
Bio-diversity
Emerging diseases
Animal Health Policies
Genetic Modification
Nutrition, diet and health
Local planning issues in relation to land use
Understanding Science

Read the June report (DOC. file) to the UKPAC

Visit their Web site... (external link)