IGD attends government’s “Good Food Cycle” launch
18 July 2025Our CEO joined Minister for Food Security Daniel Zeichner in Bradford for the unveiling of the Government’s food strategy framework, the “Good Food Cycle”.
Held earlier this week, the event at Darley Street Market is part of Bradford’s 2025 City of Culture celebrations. It featured a keynote speech from the Minister, a panel discussion with civic and industry leaders, and an audience Q&A with citizens and stakeholders.
The event marked the publication of the report “Towards a Good Food Cycle”, which outlines the Government’s updated approach to food strategy. This new framework sits at the heart of the Government’s Plan for Change, aiming to tackle critical challenges such as food insecurity, health inequalities, and climate resilience, while helping to put more money back in people’s pockets.
The strategy sets out:
The current challenges facing the food system
A high-level vision for the future of food in the UK
The key outcomes needed to realise that vision
What happens next
The ten priority outcomes include building stronger, more resilient food supply chains, improving access to affordable and nutritious food, and supporting children to thrive through better nutrition and food education.
IGD has played a key role in supporting the development of this strategy. As co-secretariat of the Government’s Food Strategy Advisory Board, we’ve helped bring the industry together to shape a shared vision. This included hosting four multi-stakeholder workshops earlier this year, engaging over 150 organisations across the agri-food supply chain.
“Food security is national security – we need a resilient food system that can weather any storm while ensuring families across the country can access affordable, healthy food.
The Good Food Cycle represents a major milestone. We are actively defining the outcomes we want from our food system to deliver a whole system change that will help the amazing businesses that feed our nation to grow and thrive, which means more jobs and stronger local economies, while making it easier for families to eat and feel better.
This isn't just about what's on our plates today, it's about building a stronger food system for generations to come, supporting economic growth, health and opportunity as part of our Plan for Change.”
— Daniel Zeichner, Minister for Food Security
“As co-secretariat of the FSAB, we partnered with the Defra team earlier this year to host multi-stakeholder workshops, engaging over 150 organisations across the agri-food supply chain. Their insights have directly shaped the Good Food Cycle’s ambition to build a food system that works for everyone. A powerful example of what can be achieved through collaboration.”
— Sarah Bradbury, IGD CEO
The Good Food Cycle also builds on recent government measures to curb diet-related health problems. New partnerships with major food companies will increase transparency by sharing data on healthy food sales, supporting a level playing field across the industry.
To help make it easier to understand, we’ve shared an easy-to-read three minute summary of the document on our website – click here to read it.
FAQs on the Food Strategy answered here:
Q1. How important are the 10 outcomes set out in this document for the food industry and the country?
The 10 outcomes are foundational. They represent the first-time government has clearly articulated a cross-departmental vision for a thriving food system that is healthier, more sustainable, and economically resilient. The Defra team have worked to align Government depts teams, these outcomes were shaped by discussion with over months of engagement with over 400 organisations, academics, NGO’s and citizens, across the food sector. Including teaming up with IGD’s to run multi-stakeholder workshops with over 150 organisations. They provide a unifying framework to align action across departments and sectors bringing multiple perspectives and voices together encompassing complex industry topics.
Q2. How were these ten goals identified?
Defra led the overall strategy, and worked with academia, citizens, the F4 and the Food Strategy Advisory Board to develop ideas. IGD supported this by working with Defra to bring together stakeholders from across the agri-food supply chain (academia, agriculture, retail, manufacturing, NGOs, and civil society), through a series of workshops in London, Birmingham and Leeds. These sessions explored the four pillars of the strategy: economic growth, health, nature and environment, and food security. The ten outcomes from the report were informed by this collaborative process.
Q3. How has the FSAB operated since it was formed? Has that collaboration been seamless?
The Food Strategy Advisory Board (FSAB), is a trusted space for collaboration and conversation, with joint co-secretariat from IGD and Defra. The FSAB brings together a wide range of voices, including retailers, manufacturers, farmers, NGOs, academics, and has played a vital role in shaping the strategy. It has met monthly since March, and all the minutes are published online so people can see the discussions for themselves. It hasn’t always been seamless, but that’s a strength: the FSAB is where difficult conversations happen constructively, and where outcomes and actions can be forged through evidence and shared purpose. Inevitably, because the NHS Ten Year Plan was coming, some of those early meetings were focused on health so that DHSC and Defra could join up their thinking, we are looking forward to the FSAB continuing to support this cross-government collaboration as it dives deeper into the other Food Strategy pillars in the coming months. The FSAB is one part of the engagement and discuss as both the F4 and citizen work are critical inputs.
Q4. There were fears the strategy would be overly focused on health/regulation and not growth. Has that been proven wrong?
The “Good Food Cycle” more broadly encompasses all four Food Strategy priorities. While health is rightly a priority, the strategy also champions economic growth, innovation, and food security. The workshops revealed strong support for making healthy and sustainable food the default, but not at the expense of growth. The outcomes reflect that balance, supporting both public health and a thriving food economy.
Q5. The subjects are huge. How will they be achieved in a timeframe that makes it acceptable?
The “Good Food Cycle” is a generational strategy, it also needs to align with the other important pieces of work, like the land use framework, planning reform and the circular economy. The workshops surfaced practical steps, like simplifying planning restrictions and scaling food education, which can be delivered in the near term while laying the groundwork for systemic change.
Q6. How will the FSAB and outcomes framework dovetail with the NHS 10-year plan and ideas such as mandatory reporting?
There’s strong alignment. The “Good Food Cycle” supports the NHS’s shift from treatment to prevention. DHSC will also work with the Food Strategy Advisory Board on how to sequence the introduction of mandatory targets.
Q7. What’s next for IGD’s role?
The “Good Food Cycle” is a milestone, but it’s just the beginning. IGD’s role is to convene, connect, and catalyse. We’re proud to have brought together such a broad coalition to shape this strategy and we’ll continue to support delivery by sharing insights, fostering collaboration, and championing the voices of those working to build a better food system.