'Target will be missed'

The food sector will miss its target of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 20% by 2010, according to environmental panels advising the government's revised Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS).

Lord Rooker is expected to unveil the updated version of the strategy this month. Reporting from the environmental champions groups, Dr Andrew Dunn, of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (DEFRA's) Food and Farming Group, said: "It's unlikely the industry will hit that target."

The original target, outlined in a draft FISS document published in April 2006, was based on carbon reduction targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The industry claims to have reduced emissions from energy consumption by 15.2% since 1990. However, members of FISS's environmental champions groups that cover energy, waste, water and transport concluded that the 2010 target was "fairly meaningless" because of the scarcity of hard data.

Instead, they will focus on targets outlined by DEFRA secretary David Miliband in the Climate Change Bill. These require Britain to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions to 26-32% of 1990 levels by 2020 and to 60% of those levels by 2050.

The revised FISS document includes 78 recommendations but only 34 are new. Some believe FISS has failed to help the industry adapt to the latest environmentally sensitive technologies.

The energy champions group said that more financial assistance, stability and clarification and simplification of government funding schemes was needed. However, Bob Marsh, md of the Food Processing Knowledge Transfer Network, which aims to help the sector use new technology to become more competitive, said opportunities had been missed.

Speaking before full details of recommendations emerged, he said: "I am nervous that the FISS groups' recommendations will not have any tangible effect in reducing the carbon footprint and energy costs of food processing."

Most food companies have looked at several cost cutting measures for the past five years, Marsh added.

"So most of the low hanging fruit has been plucked."