These Policy Insights provide opportunities for experts from academe and civil society to highlight gaps and opportunities in emerging food policy. The aim is to put detailed, specialist knowledge into the public domain at this critical time.

Food policy in England is in a state of flux. The UK’s departure from the European Union opened the way for new approaches to agriculture and trade, and required the UK to take responsibility for many areas of food regulation previously overseen by the EU. Evidence of the food system’s adverse impacts on climate and habitats has prompted urgent calls for food policy to reverse these trends. And Covid’s consequences have shown where the system lacks resilience – for example in ensuring food supplies for the vulnerable.

In response to these realities, the government is developing new policies for agriculture, land use, trade, planning, ‘levelling up’, the environment, and health disparities, all of which affect the food system. It commissioned a comprehensive review for a national food strategy – then published a Government Food Strategy that left many recommendations on the shelf. During this period of policy formulation, there are many opportunities for improvement and course-correction. We hope these Insights will inform that process.

If you would like to contribute, please contact the Food Research Collaboration.