Charity says children 'not active enough' to be happy and healthy in response to rising childhood obesity and diabetes

Whilst exercise alone is not the silver bullet solution to this crisis, it's amplified by the fact our children are simply not active enough.

Following new analysis from the NHS showing the numbers of youngsters having treatment for conditions normally seen in middle-aged adults has soared in the last decade, children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust has responded to the news more children now have high blood pressure, knee problems and Type 2 Diabetes.

Alison Oliver MBE, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: "Whilst exercise alone is not the silver bullet solution to this crisis, it's compounded by the fact our children are simply not active enough to remain happy and healthy. 

"There is a compelling evidence base for more play and sport in children’s lives. Unhappy, unhealthy children don’t learn effectively. If children don’t learn, they don’t achieve their potential in life and we don’t have a society fit for the future.

"60 minutes of vigorous activity a day is the Chief Medical Officers’ minimum guidance. Our new research shows that many parents underestimate this amount by 50%. That’s why this National School Sports Week we are urging parents and schools to make the #PledgeToPlay."

The Youth Sport Trust is a top UK children’s charity which aims to improve young people's wellbeing through sport and play. It empowers young people and equips educators to transform lives. Founded in 1995, it works with around 20,000 schools and inspires Changemakers to build a sense of belonging. Its vision is to create a future where every child enjoys the life-changing benefits of play and sport. Visit the YST website for ideas, tips and information www.youthsporttrust.org.

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National School Sports Week is an annual campaign, launched  in 2008 and run by the Youth Sport Trust, to champion the role of PE, physical activity and school sport in allowing all pupils to reach their full potential. 

In 2022 1,359 schools registered to take part, the campaign generated 187 media mentions and over 40m campaign impressions were delivered through social media. This year the week is running from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 June 2023 and is themed around ‘playing for fun, playing for 60,’ with the intention of driving up awareness of the Chief Medical Officers’ recommendation that children should be active for a minimum of 60 minutes a day in order to stay happy and healthy.

By registering, to take part, participants are making the #PledgeToPlay for a minimum of 60 active minutes a day for the whole of National School Sports Week. Schools, families, businesses and supportive partners can sign-up to participate in the campaign at https://www.youthsporttrust.org/nssw

Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines for children and young people:

The UK Chief Medical Officer recommends that children and young people need to do two types of physical activity each week:

aerobic exercise

exercises to strengthen their muscles and bones

Children and young people aged 5 to 18 should:

aim for an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity a day across the week take part in a variety of types and intensities of physical activity across the week to develop movement skills, muscles and bones

reduce the time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity.

aim to spread activity throughout the day

Read more about the guidelines on the NHS website here; https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-guidelines/physical-activity-guidelines-children-and-young-people/

(Image courtesy of Peter Stanic and Pixabay)

Today is World Bee Day. Here's how we can all help the bees

Today, on World Bee Day, 20 May, we recognise the important and vital role that bees play in our environment.

Bees are responsible for pollinating many of the world's food crops, ensuring the production of fruits, vegetables, and nuts that are critical to our food supply.

Unfortunately, bees are facing numerous threats, such as habitat loss, disease, pesticide use, and climate change.

According to a United Nations report, over 40% of insect pollinators, including bees, are at risk of extinction in the next two decades.

Fortunately, there are simple steps that everyone can take to help save the bees.

“You don’t need a large garden to help your local bee population,” says Kelly Martin from gardening website Urban Garden Gal. 

“Grow some flowers in containers, plant a flowering tree or replace part of your lawn with clover to give bees a valuable source of food."

Bees are active from early spring until late autumn, so you should consider choosing plants that bloom at different times of the year.

Place some shallow dishes of water with rocks around your garden for thirsty bees to drink from.

Support local beekeepers by purchasing natural honey, beeswax and other bee products.

Avoid using pesticides and chemical fertilisers which can harm bees and other pollinators. Instead, try using natural pest control methods and organic fertilisers to keep your plants healthy and bee-friendly.

Not all bees are social creatures that live in hives. Many bees are solitary and nest in the ground or in crevices. Provide some nesting places like bee hotels or leave a small patch of bare soil in your garden for the bees to nest in.

Kelly adds, “Bees are crucial pollinators for our food supply, and by providing places for them to nest, we can help to ensure their survival and the health of our ecosystem.”

“There is no better way to show appreciation for these amazing creatures than by providing them with a safe place in which they can thrive.”

Top 5 Bee Friendly Plants

Lavender: Lavender is a popular choice among beekeepers and gardeners because it provides bees with a continuous source of nectar from late spring until summer.

Sunflowers: Sunflowers are another favourite of bees. Their large flowers are rich in nectar and pollen, and their bright yellow petals make them easy for bees to spot.

Coneflowers: These tall, colourful flowers are drought tolerant and attract a variety of pollinators including bees and butterflies.

Borage: Borage is a fast growing annual herb that produces an abundance of blue, star-shaped flowers that are highly attractive to bees.

Wildflowers: Planting a mix of wildflowers in your garden is a great way to provide bees with a diverse range of nectar and pollen sources. Bees are attracted to many different wildflowers, including poppies, clover, and cornflowers.

Garden Gardening Bees Environment Home Wildlife Flowers Nature Environment & Nature Home & Garden

You can visit Urban Garden Gal here:- https://urbangardengal.com

(Image courtesy of Myriams-Fotos and Pixabay)

Greene King has raised £1m for Macmillan Cancer Support

Brewer and pub company Greene King has today announced it's raised £1m for Macmillan Cancer Support’s Emergency Grants Appeal, a pledge it made at the beginning of the year.

The funds raised through charity activity in over 1,600 Greene King pubs, hotels and restaurants and across its support centres and breweries could help nearly 3,000 families with financial grants. The money will assist people who are living with cancer manage unexpected or extra costs related to their diagnosis during the cost-of-living crisis.

According to Macmillan 83% of people living with cancer in the UK, that's nearly 2.5 million people, often experience some kind of financial impact from their diagnosis, and for those affected, this can reach an average of £891 a month.

Sal Dunford, 46, from Bolton, was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2022 aged 45, and is currently on long-term sick leave. She lives with her husband, who needed to take on a second job to keep a roof over their head,  as Sal’s only income at the moment is a Personal Independence Payment.

When asked about her current financial situation, Sal said: “Ever since receiving my cancer diagnosis the cost-of-living crisis has been relentless. My diagnosis was hard enough and with money worries on top, it’s been really, really difficult. We have no disposable income and had to tighten our belts on food, water, travel and we haven’t been able to turn the central heating on, even when we really needed it.

“When things got tough, Macmillan stepped in and was a real lifesaver, helping me keep my head above water by providing us with benefits advice and a one-off grant. I can’t tell you how helpful this was. I really don’t know where I’d be without their support.”

The charity’s Emergency Grants Appeal provides those living with cancer with practical financial assistance, helping them pay necessary expenses like fuel to get to hospital appointments, or support with food and heating bills, if required.

The number of people with cancer supported by a Macmillan grant in the first three months of 2023  leapt to over 13,000, an increase of 28% compared with the same time last year.

Nick Mackenzie, Greene King's CEO, said, “We’ve been proud partners of Macmillan Cancer support for over ten years now. During that time, we’ve seen some incredible stories of our team members going above and beyond to raise money to support people who are living with cancer.

“This huge fundraising achievement is thanks to the power of all the many smaller donations that happen daily across our pubs, from the £1 dropped into the collection tin on the bar, to the 25p donations that are added at the till, they all add up and really make a difference. It’s no surprise our generous customers and passionate teams have come together once again and raised the £1m in just a few short months."

Claire Rowney who is the Executive Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Innovation, at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We couldn’t be more grateful and proud of everyone at Greene King for raising an incredible £1 million for Macmillan’s Emergency Grants Appeal.

“Macmillan Grants are a lifeline for so many and the funds raised by Greene King will enable us support even more people living with cancer through the cost-of-living crisis.

This is yet again another amazing achievement from Greene King colleagues. I would like to thank them for their phenomenal fundraising efforts and their continued commitment to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer.”

Greene King has supported Macmillan since 2012, raising over £14.5m in the last 11 years of its partnership with the cancer charity.

(EDITOR: It's nice to know that whenever my wife and I visit a Greene King pub or restaurant that we have the opportunity to help raise funds for Macmillan.)

Lidl issues call to all other UK supermarkets to help make fruit and veg more attractive to youngsters

Lidl GB is calling on all other supermarkets to introduce packaging design changes to make fruit and veg appeal more to children.

It issued the friendly challenge after Lidl noticed sales increase by over a third on its specially designed Oaklands Funsize fruit range.

Lidl was the first supermarket to introduce fruit and veg packaging aimed at children, a move aimed at  helping parents and carers encourage kids to eat their five-a-day.

It's also pledged to remove all cartoon characters from packaging of all 'unhealthy' products by Spring next year. 

Lidl was the first British supermarket to introduce a range of healthy products specifically designed to encourage children to eat more greens. The collection comprises of fresh fruit and veg with quirky names and cartoon characters, such as Banana-Llamas and Tawny Tomatowl.

To further engage youngsters, competitions were staged to name and design cartoon characters. The result has been the introduction of numerous memorable characters, including Koala Pears, which led to nearly a quarter of a million additional units being sold the year after the competition ended.

Doubling down on its bid to help children eat healthier diets and aid parents in combating pester power, the discount store announced it will also remove cartoon characters on unhealthy products by Spring next year. 

Over 14 different product categories will be impacted, like sweets, chocolates and savoury snacks, with at least 30 products getting a fresh look, including the discounters Sweet Fruit Chews and Multicoloured Fizzy Belts.

The move follows Lidl’s landmark removal of cartoon characters from cereal packaging back in 2020. The changes mark a significant step in helping families across the UK make healthier choices, after research revealed over two thirds (68%) of parents found child friendly characters on unhealthy food and drink packaging made it more difficult to feed their children a healthy diet.

Peter de Roos, Chief Commercial Officer at Lidl GB said: “Our ambition is to make high quality, healthy food accessible to all, and the principal way we achieve this is through our best value prices.

"But we are also aware that there are other barriers in place, particularly concerning children, and parents tell us unhelpful packaging is one of them. This is something that’s so simple for us supermarkets to change, and our results show the positive impact that these small changes can make." 

He concluded by saying: "We hope other supermarkets follow in our footsteps so that, as a sector, we can be confident we’re doing all we can to support parents in helping to improve the diets of the next generation.”

The announcement follows the publication of Lidl GB’s new Healthy & Sustainable Diets Policy, which aims to ensure diets are healthier, more sustainable and easier to understand to aid customers decision making in-store.

https://www.lidl.co.uk

That's Health: Fibromyalgia Symptoms: Not Just Pain–Shocking List...

That's Health: Fibromyalgia Symptoms: Not Just Pain–Shocking List...: Fibromyalgia Symptoms: Not Just Pain–Shocking List Will Surprise

Tesco cuts price of pasta and cooking oil with thirty products reduced

The cut in prices comes after the retailer announced drops in the price of milk, butter and bread in recent weeks.                                     

Tesco has announced another significant price reduction for a number of store cupboard essentials. Tesco own brand pasta has been reduced by 15p in stores and online, and vegetable and sunflower oil have also been reduced by up to 15p, too.

The reductions come after the supermarket dropped the price of milk, butter, and bread in recent weeks as part of its commitment to provide great value for customers.

As families continue to watch their weekly spend, the retailer will cut the price of thirty pasta and oil products. The price cuts include dinner-time favourites like penne and spaghetti, down to 80p for 500g. Meanwhile a litre of vegetable oil will drop to £1.85.

A spokesperson said: "Tesco will continue to work closely with its suppliers to ensure customers can benefit from the best possible value."

Tesco Group Chief Product Officer, Ashwin Prasad, said: “As we see deflation coming through on key cupboard essentials like pasta and cooking oil, we're pleased to pass on these savings to customers."

“We hope by reducing prices on these thirty products which are bought week-in, week-out, we can help customers spend less."

“So whether you’re buying a branded favourite covered by our price lock, stocking up on essentials from Aldi Price Match, or treating yourself to an exclusive deal with Clubcard Prices – you can be confident of finding great value at Tesco.”

www.tesco.com.

Sainsbury’s launches first store with fully electric delivery fleet

Sainsbury’s Nine Elms London superstore is now using 110% electric delivery vans, providing zero emission deliveries to its customers.

The new 100% electric fleet will make over 2000 deliveries each week on average, saving 57 tonnes of carbon annually.

It's part of the retailer’s commitment to achieving Net Zero in its own operations by 2035.

Sainsbury’s has announced that its Nine Elms London superstore is now delivering to customers using a fully electric fleet. The new electric vans mean customers’ grocery shopping will be delivered with zero emissions.

The Nine Elms delivery fleet consists of 12 vans, with both the vehicle and fridge units now powered by electricity, so they do not emit carbon emissions or dust, dirt, soot, or smoke into the air. This means the 145,000 households in Sainsbury’s Nine Elms delivery area can receive groceries from vehicles which are helping reduce carbon emissions. The new vans will also operate more quietly, helping cut noise pollution.

Sainsbury’s Nine Elms makes over 2,000 deliveries on average, weekly, covering approximately 1,760 miles, so the new 100% electric vans will help save 57 tonnes of carbon every year, whilst contributing to a significant reduction in air pollution in the local area.

The change is part of the retailers’ transition to operating a fully electric fleet in its stores by 2035, in line with its decarbonisation goals. The new fleet will also help Sainsbury’s achieve its commitment to becoming Net Zero in its own operations by 2035.

Patrick Dunne, who is the Director of Property & Procurement at Sainsbury’s said: “We’re always looking at how we can use the latest technology to best serve our customers, whilst also doing the right thing for the planet.

"We’re really thrilled to have launched a fully electric fleet in our Nine Elms superstore and we hope our customers will be delighted to learn their groceries are being delivered with zero emissions, helping reduce the environmental impact of their online shopping. This is just the first step for us, as we have committed to rolling out electric vans across the country to all our stores by 2035.”

This builds on a string of changes the retailer has made to reduce its carbon emissions and energy usage in its own operations. Last year, Sainsbury’s introduced LED lighting across its entire estate, reducing lighting energy consumption by an average of 70%. 

It also announced the launch of Sainsbury’s Innovation Investments, which will see a minimum of £5 million invested over the next four years into start-up businesses commercialising innovative, sustainable technologies that look to reduce operational carbon emissions. Sainsbury’s currently operates with 100% renewable electricity and by the end of 2023 the retailer projects that up to 40% of its electricity will come from new-to-the-planet wind and solar power.

www.sainsburys.co.uk

Sainsbury's opens its most energy-efficient supermarket ever

Sainsbury’s has launched a new green flagship supermarket in Hook, Hampshire, which is projected to use only half the energy of a similar-sized Sainsbury’s store and 25% less electricity than its other most energy-efficient supermarkets.

Combining innovations in construction and engineering to arrive at the design of the new 25,000 sq. ft. supermarket, Sainsbury’s is building on and bringing together an array of energy-saving features that can now be found in other stores across its estate.

A store that is Better for the planet:

Sainsbury’s Hook branch will operate using 100% renewable electricity and won't will rely on any fossil fuels.

It will keep aisles at their optimum temperature using a cold aisle retrieval system, which takes any air that could leave the fridges and displaces it to other areas of the store to keep those aisles cooler. Warm air is then taken from the back of its fridges and re-purposed to heat other sections.

About two-thirds of the energy consumed will be reused by the cold aisle retrieval system.

The store is also part of a new trial that employs doors on chilled cabinets, keeping cold air in and reducing their energy demands by up to 60%. 

Further energy savings have been driven by adding lids on frozen food display cabinets, which work in the same way.

Ambient air door curtains will help to reduce the store’s heating requirements and make customers’ experience more comfortable by counteracting naturally occurring drafts.

The roof features over 700 solar panels, which are expected to provide up to 300 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy for the store annually. 

100% LED lighting has been installed throughout the store, and on the shop floor sensors will enable it to adapt in response to the level of natural daylight so energy won't be wasted.

Sainsbury’s Hook store will contribute to the retailer’s target of becoming water-neutral by 2040 with low-pressure bathroom taps and rainwater harvesting.

The new store will set the standard for future Sainsbury’s Superstores and the retailer will replicate and build on everything that works well from Sainsbury’s Hook store in any new supermarkets it constructs, plus retrofitting its existing estate with the technology wherever possible.

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s Property Director, said: “I’m immensely proud of everyone at Sainsbury’s who have helped deliver what is a ground-breaking new store for us, the learning from which will be used in future store investments. Sainsbury’s Hook is the culmination of many years of innovation, hard work and progress towards a more sustainable future for our business.

“I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the local community for their support and patience whilst we constructed this store, I hope everyone will agree it was worth the wait, not only for the new offer customers can now enjoy but for the progress in store sustainability it represents.”

Ryan Cox, Sainsbury’s Hook Store Manager said: “We've thoroughly enjoyed welcoming customers through the doors of our brand-new store and we look forward to getting to know many of them as we become an integral part of the local community.

“This is a really proud moment for Sainsbury’s as we launch a brilliant new supermarket that puts our commitment to reducing our impact on the environment into sharp focus while serving and helping customers in Hook.”

Ranil Jayawardena, MP for North East Hampshire, said: “I was delighted to open Sainsbury’s newest store today, representing a significant investment into my home village of Hook, and the creation of over 100 new jobs for local people. 

"The new store will provide a healthy boost to customer choice in the area and the fact that it is the most environmentally sound, energy-efficient store Sainsbury’s has ever opened makes it a special addition to the community here.”

Sainsbury’s currently operates with 100% renewable electricity and by the end of 2023 the retailer projects that up to 40% of its electricity will come from new-to-the-planet wind and solar power. The improvements in the store’s efficient energy design are part of Sainsbury’s wider commitment to becoming Net Zero in its own operations by 2035.

Sainsbury’s Hook represents a brand-new shopping destination for customers in northern Hampshire, offering greater choice, quality and value, with thousands of products available to choose from.

Alongside its extensive food offer, Sainsbury’s Hook will offer:

A selection of Sainsbury’s iconic Habitat range, selling modern classics for the home

Tu clothing for all the family via Click & Collect, as well as a stylish beauty proposition

An Argos store inside the supermarket

The store will be an active member of Sainsbury’s Food Donation Programme via Neighbourly, which works to reduce the amount of food waste within its operations and redistribute surplus food to those who need it most.

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk.

New from Salcombe Rum. New peppered black run, Blackstone

It's exceptionally smooth and brimming with the flavours of caramelised orange peel, pink peppercorns and warmth from Szechuan pepper, Salcombe Rum 'Blackstone', a peppered black rum, joins Salcombe Rum's portfolio as their fourth release.  

Lovingly handcrafted at Salcombe Distilling Co.'s stunning waterside home in South Devon, the sophisticated new small batch spirit is a single estate rum produced from scratch at the distillery. 

Available in a 50cl bottle, RRP £40 (ABV 40%), Salcombe Rum 'Blackstone' can be purchased from salcombegin.com and Salcombe Distilling Co.'s flagship stores in Salcombe and Dartmouth as well as regional independent retailers.

With a beautiful balance and tantalising spectrum of flavours, Salcombe Rum 'Blackstone' is triple distilled at Salcombe Distilling Co.'s distillery on Island Street in Salcombe, one of the world's very few distilleries directly accessible by boat.  

Distiller Harry Wakeley begins the production process with four ingredients: imported molasses, demerara sugar, yeast and pure Dartmoor water.  The fermentation process is a labour of love, taking approximately one month to produce the rum wash which is approximately 12% ABV.  It's this unrushed process which delivers the complex flavours and forms an absolutely exquisite rum base. 

The second stage is the first distillation run on Salcombe Distilling Co.'s flame fired 60L copper pot stills to produce the low wines. The still is then recharged and they collect the heart of the spirit before switching to the tails. The resulting rum distillate is approximately 76% ABV at this second distillation stage.

The third distillation run makes use of a reflux column to further smooth out the spirit.  Seven botanicals are added in the third distillation run which, with the additional copper contact, produces an exceptionally smooth spirit with light and delicate notes and an increased ABV of 80%.  

On completion of the distillation process, the rum distillate is reduced to 40% ABV using purified Dartmoor sourced water, before Black Strap Molasses and peppercorns are steeped overnight, to produce an exceptional smooth and rounded rum with a delicate level of spice, citrus and balanced natural sweetness.

Salcombe Rum 'Blackstone' joins Salcombe Distilling Co.'s award-winning line-up of their transatlantic spiced gold rum Salcombe Rum 'Island Street', gold rum Salcombe Rum 'Lantern Rock' and Salcombe Rum's only white rum, Salcombe Rum 'Whitestrand'. Unlike many distillers, Salcombe Rum never darkens their rums with the addition of colourants or added sugar post the distillation process.

Salcombe Rum takes inspiration from Salcombe's coastal vitality and its shipbuilding heritage, when they are crafting their spirits.  Famous for carrying fresh fruits and spices back from exotic lands, the locally built 19th century Salcombe Fruiters often ventured to the West Indies to acquire a much sweeter and more potent payload; sugar, molasses and rum.  

In the tropical Caribbean heat, puncheons or hogsheads of this rich spirit were carefully stowed on board these ships and surrounded by coconuts to protect the precious cargo during their perilous journey back across the Atlantic.

Salcombe Distilling Co.'s portfolio, in addition to Salcombe Rum, also boasts Salcombe Gin 'Start Point', 'Rosé Sainte Marie', the Voyager Series and New London Light non-alcoholic spirits and aperitifs. 

For further information about Salcombe Distilling Co. and Salcombe Rum, visit www.salcombedistilling.com, and to stay up to date follow SalcombeGin on Instagram.

For more information or images, please contact RAW PR:

Nose. What you'll smell- Sweet liquorice, treacle tart, spiced citrus, toasted brioche and green under ripe bananas followed by a hint of mango.

Palate. What you'll taste - A rich and viscous mouthfeel leading to caramelised orange peel, pink peppercorns and warmth from Szechuan pepper, with a fresh floral note to finish.

Finish. What it's like at the end- Mid length, with warming spice balanced with candied ginger fading to Werther's Original and a touch of smoked citrus.

Serving Suggestion - It's best served with a fiery ginger beer.  Alternatively, to truly appreciate the rum, try it with ginger ale so as not to over power the flavours in the spirit.

Calls to build resilient food production system echoed across the food sector

On a warm and sunny Spring evening in the heart of the Cotswolds, a chef, NGOs, civil servants, educators and farmers joined together to share food and perspectives at a special dinner to discuss the future of sustainable food and farming.  

It was intended as a dialogue to act as a proactive call for the food and agricultural value chains to build a more resilient food system. 

Gathered together by BASF over a shared passion for food, farming and the wider environment, the diverse group called for three areas of impact, the need for education to address the disconnect between food and farming, the encouragement of consumers to consider their role in sustainable food choices and the need to change the narrative around fresh vs processed foods.

Hosted at FarmED, a community and education site based in Oxfordshire which was founded by Ian and Celene Wilkinson back in 2021 which aims to explore ways to combine all farming approaches for a more sustainable and healthy food system, the venue provided the ideal backdrop to the first ‘Biggest Job on Earth’ dinner. Throughout the evening, guests heard from unique voices sharing their challenges and opportunities for the future of food production.

Invited to share her perspective on the pressures of land use, Farmer Sarah Bell discussed the challenges and contributions that farmers need to make: “For me, the challenges are complicated and complex, ranging from the increase in urbanisation and warehouse construction and resulting water run-off. Planting trees as a licence to continue to pollute, non-production interventions for land use and renewables schemes making communities hot under the collar. As farmers we also need to be providing year-round, long-term employment, to deal with forced land use changes resulting from the climate and responding to what society wants from land.”

Sarah added that what society mustn’t lose sight of through the “farmers’ lens for survival is that they are intimately, and viscerally connected to land,” and that society and politics’ polarisation and post-truth is driving short-termism.

“Farmers are about to enter a social contract for public good from public investment; what we must have, is scientific baselining for this, and to bear in mind that urban society still expects shelves to be stacked, and we can’t expect retail giants to be responsible for the levers in our food system, food policy must take the supply chain limitations into consideration.”

Identifying ways to bridge the gap between farming and the food we eat, Chef & Founder of Sorted Food Ben Ebbrell addressed the impact of influencers to drive positive change, sharing information about sustainable food production in the context of food choices matters, as does the consciousness of consumers’ purchase decisions: “Our hope is that [SortedFood] inspires and shares information with our community and we hope that a nugget of information will encourage them to share what they have learnt and make a different choice. We are a group of friends who met at secondary school, and we listen, distil, curate, and connect with our community.

“However, when we look outside our world, I could become very negative, very quickly, because of the food choices the world imposes, fast versus fresh food and the widening ‘say versus do’ gap.”

Ben added that, when it comes to sustainability, there's “deadlock” despite all those with marketing budget talking about it, “we are not shifting the dial”. His advice to the farming sector is not to use experts who are untouchable and unreachable, but to find communities that want to engage and listen by creating engaging content that is editorial and not advertising.

To close the evening, attendees heard from Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College London and International Speaker Prof David Hughes who highlighted that the challenges the farming sector currently faces are not new: “Food price inflation is running at 19% and energy inflation is also still high, the same happened in 1973 when there was a harvest collapse in Russia and Ukraine. Food price spikes are the victim of the market, and the issue of heat versus eat will last another 18 months. 

“The result is people have to make the decision to eat less, or eat less healthily, for example an Aldi loaf costs 49p, a frozen pepperoni pizza, 70p. There's a misconception that fresh food is more expensive, but a six-pack of Tesco apples sells a single apple at 16p, and a single British apple at 18p.”

“We’ve seen failures in the UK’s pig and poultry sectors, and arguably in fruit and veg; UK retailers have long-term contracts with suppliers which they haven’t altered as things have changed. My prediction is one of the major retailers could fall.”

Leading the call for education to address the disconnect between food and farming was Claire Evans, Head Teacher Eaton Valley Primary in West Bromwich. Concerned that agriculture isn’t currently on the school curriculum, Claire reiterated the importance of schools engaging and involving pupils in understanding how their food is produced and how to prepare and cook it.

Annabel Shackleton from Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) pointed out the work being done via LEAF Open Farm Sunday, farming toolkits for schools and educational visits is invaluable for the future of farming.

“Earlier this year LEAF Education relaunched the free ‘Why Farming Matters’ resources for schools, supported by BASF. Today’s school children are tomorrow’s farmers, consumers, parents, politicians, leaders, and thinkers. 

"They are the ones who will need to meet current and future challenges, whether that be the climate crisis or feeding and ever-growing population. With young people and schools keener than ever to connect with food production, farming and nature we aim to inform, engage and inspire them. This resource pack will deepen their understanding of the role of farming in the UK, discover its powerful impacts, and be encouraged to ask questions and begin to find out and formulate their own understanding of Why Farming Matters.”

Echoing the need for education and public engagement, Sarah Bell summed up the totality of what needs to come next: “The farming industry needs a science-led approach, a network for water distribution, near market science and long term, pragmatism; and that the sector needs to be brave, imaginative, innovative and change the rule book, which happens when we have a ’burning platform’, in other words, when we are under pressure, which we are now.”

Ali Milgate from BASF, who facilitated the evening’s discussions, said: “Conversation is at the heart of understanding, and the event allowed diverse views and thoughts to be shared. Our intention for hosting was to hear people’s hopes, ideas and asks to make food, farming, and the environment work hand in hand. People have made new connections and will continue to strive for change outside of the forum. We feel proud to have stimulated and celebrated a shared passion for the biggest job on earth.

The event was hosted as part of BASF’s Farming the Biggest Job on Earth campaign which provides a platform to advocate for farmers and farming and promote the vital impact, they have of food production and stewardship of the natural environment. To find out more https://www.agricentre.basf.co.uk/en/Biggest-Job-on-Earth/Biggest-Job-on-Earth/

(Image courtesy of Chaiyan Anuwatmongkolchai and Pixabay)