Summary of the Government's Good Food Cycle

What’s the UK Government vision for food?

The UK Government has set out a new and big ambition: to change how we relate to food, making it healthier, more affordable, more sustainable, and more resilient. This strategy is about shaping a food system that works better for people, the planet, and the economy.

What have we learned today?

This document is an update about the Government’s approach to its food strategy. It provides the analysis and framing for the next level of detail. It 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 make that vision real

• What happens next

Key takeaways:

1. Healthier and more affordable food
   Ensuring food that is consistently safe, nutritious, affordable, convenient and tasty is much more widely available and accessible, supporting better health and wellbeing across the population.

2. Good growth for our food sectors

   Increasing investment in British food production, boosting British food sector innovation and productivity, improving profitability and fairness and transparency in our supply chains. Attracting and keeping talent, with the right skills and training to drive long-term success.

3. A resilient and sustainable food supply
   Making our food system more robust in the face of future shocks and ensuring it does not contribute to those shocks by aligning it with climate and nature goals.

4. Vibrant food cultures
   Enabling people, wherever they live and whatever their background, to cook, eat well, and enjoy and celebrate local food.

The Government’s approach explained

What is a food strategy?

The food strategy is the process by which we move from the food system we have now, to the food system we want to see in the future. The food strategy will set out how we will create a healthier, more affordable, sustainable, resilient food system that supports delivery of the Government Plan for Change and its national missions.

This is a UK Government food strategy for England, which also considers the wider UK food system. That means that it reflects the areas of food policy which are devolved, but aligns with and supports on areas where the devolved nations have set out their own food system visions.

Context and key challenges facing the food system

Like any complex system, the food system is constantly changing and evolving. That evolution, driven by innovation, has enabled the food system to deliver a huge amount.

But a quarter of the way through the 21^st century, the food system is still responding to drivers, incentives and feedback loops established early in the 20^th century. It has become increasingly apparent that the food system is driving negative impacts on our health, environment, and resilience that undermine our food security¹.  In recent years, we have seen exceptionally high levels of food price inflation, impacting household food security, particularly for the most vulnerable. These negative impacts are well documented and are largely well understood.

To support delivery of the national missions and plan for change, we need to see a shift to a  food system fit for the 21^st century that: strengthens the foundations of the economy and enables the food sector to reach its growth potential; supports more affordable, healthier and more balanced diets for all, higher in fruit, vegetables and wholegrains and lower in calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt; ends mass dependence on emergency food parcels; has a smaller environmental footprint, supports our net zero commitments, and is more resilient to short term shocks and better adapted to the long term challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

A new way of working with the food system

To achieve the vision of “a healthier, more affordable, sustainable and resilient 21^st century UK food system that grows the economy, feeds the nation, nourishes people, and protects the environment, now and in the future”, the food system needs a fresh approach.  One that is more joined-up, inclusive and forward-looking.

Firstly, it needs to be a whole-of-government effort. That means departments working together, not in silos, and drawing on the knowledge, experience and reach of the wider food system, from farm to fork.

Secondly, it needs broad and meaningful collaboration. That includes people working in the food system, researchers who study it, campaigners pushing for change, and crucially, those with lived experience of the challenges the system creates. Their insights are vital to shaping a system that truly works for everyone.

Priority outcomes that will make the vision a reality

We have identified 10 priority outcomes, that are needed to deliver and fully realise the benefits of a healthier, more sustainable and more resilient food system that supports delivery of the national missions and the Plan for Change. The outcomes relate primarily to England, although they have been designed to align with and support outcomes identified by the Devolved Governments in their respective food strategies.  

Healthier and more affordable food

1. An improved food environment that supports healthier and more environmentally sustainable food sales

2. Access for all to safe, affordable, healthy, convenient and appealing food options

Good growth for our food sectors

3. Conditions for the food sector to thrive and grow sustainably, including investment in innovation and productivity, and fairer more transparent supply chains

4. Good sector attracts talent and develops skilled workforce in every region

Sustainable and resilient supply

5. Food supply is environmentally sustainable with high animal welfare standards, and waste is reduced

6. Trade supports environmentally sustainable growth, upholds British standards and expands export opportunities

7. Resilient domestic production for a secure supply of healthier food

8. Greater preparedness for supply chain shocks, disruption, and impacts of chronic risks

Vibrant food cultures

9. Celebrated and valued UK, regional and local food cultures

10. People are more connected to their local food systems, and have the confidence, knowledge and skills to cook and eat healthily

What happens next?

Transforming the food system isn’t something that can be done overnight, it’s a long-term mission that will need action from all corners: government, industry, civil society, and individuals.

Because the food system is so broad and complex, delivering the outcomes in this strategy will take a joined-up, whole-of-government approach. That means aligning policies, incentives and systems across departments, and working closely with devolved and local governments too.

But government can’t do it alone. Many of the levers for change sit outside Whitehall. Businesses, communities, campaigners, and everyday people all have a role to play in making this vision a reality.

To help guide this work, the Government has set up groups like the Citizens Advisory Council and the Food Strategy Advisory Board. These groups will help ensure that a wide range of voices, from across the food system, are heard and reflected in the decisions being made.

The first round of engagement focussed on the opportunity to make progress across health, food security, economic growth and environmental sustainability. The next phase will focus on specific policy development to deliver the ten outcomes.

The next big milestone? A publication in 2026, which will set out more detail on how this transformation will be delivered, providing a basis for future plans.

^{1 In line with the UK Food Security, report we use the 1996 World Food Summit definition of food security “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”}