Following the FRC publication ‘Who makes food policy in England’, which identified that responsibility for food policy involves 16 different departments, relevance of the findings took heightened importance under the Covid-19 pandemic. Government reactions to food supply issues exposed how increased coordination could aid responses and build trust in times of crisis, both now and in the future.
Key information from the report has been used to develop a guidance note specifically tackling government responses to Covid-19, aimed at increasing the resilience of food systems. It proposes a cross-government committee which could help effectively address issues of both supply and demand in the food chain, whilst also addressing the multiple dimensions of the UK food system.