On 19 November, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) issued a proposal to political parties participating in the UK general election calling for the appointment of a new minister for food in the government. CIEH believes the new position is required to oversee the National Food Strategy consultation, launched in August 2019, which is reviewing UK’s approach to food and the possible role of new technologies in the food supply. Food production and standards are currently one of the responsibilities of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Another key CIEH recommendation - that UK food safety and standards should be maintained post-Brexit - was also included in pre-election publications by the National Farmers Union (NFU) and Food Ethics Council, though these groups haven’t called for the creation of a UK food minister.