Brexit and obesity on agenda at industry convention

The Convention​, sponsored by Lloyds Bank, will address three critical policy challenges facing the food and drink sector, namely: Brexit, the government’s new industrial strategy, and tackling obesity.

The morning session will begin with a ‘state of the nation’ overview from FDF president and premier foods ceo Gavin Darby.

Farm to fork panel on Brexit​

In a ‘farm to fork’ panel on Brexit, a senior official from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will share the latest information on the future food and farming policy. Terry Jones, director general of The National Farmers Union, and Heather Hancock, chairman of the Food Standards Agency, will also join the panel to discuss how the UK food chain will be impacted by Brexit.

The morning will also include the results of a ‘deep dive’ into the current state of the food and drink manufacturing sector from Trefor Griffiths, partner and head of food and beverage at Grant Thornton and panel debates on Brexit and another on the industrial strategy.

The panel session on ‘Securing the best possible outcomes from Brexit for UK food and drink manufacturers, will be chaired by Food Manufacture group editor Mike Stones.

Tackling obesity​

The afternoon will feature a panel on ‘creative solutions to tackle obesity’ featuring Richard Dobbs, senior partner of McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) (and co-author of MGI’s global report on obesity), and Jane Lawrie, group communications director at Tesco.

A second panel led by Glenn Caton, northern Europe president at Mondelēz, will debate how brands can take consumers with them as they reformulate products to make them healthier.

For more details about the event, visit the FDF website​.