FDF’s top three ambitions for 2016

By Laurence Gibbons

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Manufacturing

Tackling the UK’s obesity epidemic, resolving the debate surrounding Britain’s membership of the EU and boosting productivity will be the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF’s) top three ambitions for 2016, FoodManufacture.co.uk can exclusively reveal.

The government’s upcoming obesity strategy will play a “critical”​ role in the way food and drink manufacturers approach production, the FDF’s director general Ian Wright told this site in an exclusive video filmed at its headquarters.

Wright also said he would continue to defend the industry against attacks from celebrities and lobby groups.

Obesity solution

“We see a lot of critics,”​ he said. “We’ve heard from people as high profile as Jamie Oliver and others who have very, very strongly held – but in my view – wrong points of view and it’s up to the industry now to come up with a sensible and effective solution.”

Watch this video to hear what questions the FDF will be asking the industry to weigh up about whether or not it would be better off inside or outside the EU.

He also discusses productivity and the yawning skills gap in this video.

Meanwhile, look out for our Big Interview with Wright in January’s edition of Food Manufacture​ magazine.

FDF’s top three priorities for 2016

  • Obesity solution
  • EU membership debate
  • Productivity

Related topics Obesity

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1 comment

Ridiculous Rebuttal

Posted by Rowan Sinclair,

It's audacious to take the position that the main reason we shouldn't adopt a Sugar Tax is to "give consumers choice". I'm pretty sure that it's due to widespread availability and sugar addiction that consumers have tendency to overeat full stop. They're very simply afraid of tarnishing individual product brands through taste alteration, similar to Coca Cola ingredients restructure and consequent failed relaunch in the 80s.

I hope that a Sugar Tax will not only curb overeating but also dissuade retailers from overstocking on unhealthy products.

Widespread availability of affordable, healthy food is the goal.

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