Sustainable Food and Drink Toasted by Beckett

The new strategy will tackle issues such as pollution, litter, waste, food miles, transport and energy use, and will incorporate challenging 'key performance indicators' for food manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and caterers.

The Government's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food, published last December, underlined the need for the food and farming industries to work with Government to secure a profitable future while contributing to a better environment and improved nutrition and public health.

"Government needs a genuine partnership with industry, one where we collectively agree upon sustainability priorities and how best to tackle them. The development of a Food Industry Sustainability Strategy provides a golden opportunity to forge such a partnership with the food and drink industry, said Mrs Beckett.

"I welcome the work of the Food and Drink Federation and the British Retail Consortium in developing their own sectoral sustainability strategies, and both have made a useful contribution in encouraging progress. However, more work is necessary to ensure that we build on good practice and ensure that sustainable practices are embedded throughout the food chain."