Best of the rest

Jon Poole, ceo, Institute of Food Science and Technology​

“It is quite clear ​[from joint meetings the IFST has had with the Department of Health and Public Health England] that the government agenda was around soundbite issues of sugar and fats, whereas when we compared and contrasted, the issues were not about these.​

“They are more about malnutrition in terms of the nutritional content of those that are overeating and obese.​

Watch our exclusive video with Poole, from the forum, here.​

Jim Moseley, general manager, General Mills and former president of FDF​

“I think we would always say we could do with more support from DEFRA ​[Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs]. Going back to horsegate, it was damaging from a consumer side, but also, damaging for the industry because if I was a 21 or 22-year-old coming out of university with a marketing degree, would I want to join the food manufacturing industry when it gets that sort of publicity?​

All the other publicity we get tends to be more adverse than positive. I do think there is a wider effect of horsegate than just consumer trust on the industry.”​

Melanie Leech, director general, FDF​

“The government does get that food manufacturing and the food industry can be a help to growing the economy through exports. UK Trade & Investment now has a food and drink team, which it didn’t two years ago. However, everyone else is doing that too and doing it faster, so we are falling further and further behind. If government truly valued the food industry they would throw the kind of energy and resources behind it that we see from our competitors.​

Click here to watch our exclusive video​ with Leech.

Will Carter, co-founder, Food Strategy Associates​

“The industry has to help itself. The evidence shows that the fat tax in Demark was an unmitigated disaster because it didn’t impact consumer behaviour in the way it was intended to. It disadvantaged the poor and didn’t benefit health in terms of life-style et cetera. ​

“The industry has to be proactive in doing its own thing and we all have a role to play.”​