Asda takes the wheel of new food transportation group

Food transport will be the first of a series of industry-led "champions' groups" set up by the government over the next 12 months as part of its new Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS).

Other groups covering energy, water, waste, corporate social responsibility and ethical trading will be set up during 2006 and early 2007, said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Friends of the Earth welcomed the launch of FISS, but said it did not go far enough, describing it as a "weak response to the very significant environmental, social and health problems caused by the food industry"

The champions' groups will assess the feasibility of a range of targets under the strategy, many of which reflect existing government policy on the environment, health and social responsibility, covering everything from cutting emissions to boosting the number of women in senior jobs. They will also look at best practice and monitoring success.

The Food Transportation Group will be chaired by Asda chief operating officer Dave Cheesewright, who will report direct to food minister Lord Bach. He said his first priority was to get agreement among members that they were "prepared to work collaboratively". It would also be necessary to "agree targets that we are prepared to sign up to"

There were, for example, a number of ways to reduce food miles "by the way you configure your network", said Cheesewright, citing Asda's £20M import centre at Teesport, which, he claimed, had saved 2M food miles. He doubted industry would move to using only seasonally available foods, though. "I can't see the UK wanting to have a nation of greenhouses," he said.