Plant Based Health Professionals Join Chris Packham in Protest Against Defra’s Food Strategy Panel
By Campaign Manager Sarah Bentley
Last week Plant-Based Health Professionals UK (PBHP) stood alongside environmental campaigner Chris Packham outside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in London. Holding a banner that read “People and Planet Over Profit,” we were there to protest the government’s deeply flawed approach to shaping the future of the nation’s food.
The protest was in response to Defra’s announcement of its new Food Strategy Advisory Panel—a body overwhelmingly dominated by food industry representatives, with minimal input from health or environmental experts. Of the 11 independent members, eight hail from industry, while no environmental organisations were given a seat at the table.
Chris Packham said, “The government sneaked out a Friday afternoon announcement that the much-vaunted new food strategy will be overseen by a body stuffed with food industry figures, including Cranswick, the corporation behind controversial megafarm applications in Norfolk. There are no environmental groups represented. This is a terrible start to a process that’s critically important to our future as a country. We need a radical overhaul of a broken food system that’s making people ill and punishing our environment, but there’s little sign that the government is interested in that.”
Among the food industry figures on the panel is Tim Smith, chairman of Cranswick—a company currently facing fierce opposition over its plans for a factory farm in Norfolk that would house 14,000 pigs and 700,000 chickens. The proposal has been met with 12,000 objections and a petition with over 43,000 signatures.
Dr. Shireen Kassam, founder of PBHP, whizzed up to London to attend the swiftly organised protest to make PBHP’s voice heard.
“The food strategy, if implemented, will shape the way we farm and eat for decades to come. It will directly impact food security, access to nutritious food, and our ability to meet climate and nature targets. It will also affect the NHS, as unhealthy diets are a leading cause of chronic disease and premature death. An advisory board dominated by the food industry and intensive animal farming will not be able to give independent advice due to obvious conflicts of interest.”
Dr. LJ Smith, also representing for PBHP’s, echoed Dr Kassam’s concerns, highlighting the broader implications of the government’s approach:
“Food is central to the nation’s health, our countryside, and our response to the climate crisis. We already had an independent, evidence-based National Food Strategy in 2021, but its 14 recommendations have been ignored. Instead, Defra has appointed a panel dominated by industry interests. Prof Chris Whitty and Anna Taylor will have their work cut out trying to advocate for health and sustainability when they are substantially outnumbered by factory farmers and corporate executives.”
This protest was about demanding better and demanding change. Our food system is broken, and government policy must make bold decisions that prioritise public health and environmental sustainability, not corporate profits. A strategy that ignores the devastating health and environmental consequences of industrial farming is not a strategy for the future.
At PBHP, we believe that a sustainable, plant-based food system is key to addressing the health and environmental crises we face. That’s why we’re calling on the government to develop and deliver a Plant Based Food Action plan as part of the National Food Strategy.