New research published today by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission shows huge public support for action on food.
Some of the major findings include:
- Fewer than 1 in 10 (7%) people think the food system works well and should be left as it is
- 4 in 5 (80%) see investment in healthy eating for children as a way to prevent illness and cut long-term costs
- 9 in 10 (90%) say farmers deserve a fair price covering the real cost of production
- 3 in 4 (71%) would feel more positively about a politician they heard talking about food grown in their area
- 9 in 10 (92%) say it’s important that everyone has enough affordable healthy food (a view held across all parties and all parts of UK) – 3 in 4 (71%) say it is what matters most in the food system
- 2 in 3 (65%) refuse to accept eating healthily should depend on income saying government should ensure people are able to eat to healthy foods, regardless of their income
The findings come exactly one year on from the launch of the government’s food strategy and just after the publication of the strategy’s Citizen Advisory Council’s (CAC) report From the Ground Up.
The findings show that the public perceive food as a critical part of building resilience against climate and global shocks (with 88% identifying being resilient to global conflict or extreme weather as vital). And more than two in three people (68%) want food produced without damaging the environment, even if it costs slightly more.
More than half of the public want to see local food economies thrive and would shop at local shops if the cost was the same as supermarkets – a pattern seen across the country with, 60% of people in the South West, 50% in Yorkshire and 57% of people in Scotland choosing local if they could.
For further information, visit Across parties, across postcodes – Food, Farming and Countryside Commission