Email templates expressing the risks to produce imports from the rest of the world under the new EU-UK reset deal are available at the new hub, along with a petition signed by kitchen staff and catering suppliers to protect diversity of sourcing
Fresh produce businesses can now write to MPs in under 10-minutes to express concern around risks to imports and trade from the UK-EU reset deal thanks to a new online ‘action pack’.
Set up by the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), the new site, freshproduceaction.co.uk, consolidates key information from FPC campaigns on the issue, with two templates ready to send.
In addition, hospitality or catering suppliers can sign a new ‘chefs’ petition’, set up by the FPC with supplier Delifresh, to ask the government to prioritise supply chain resilience and protect the diversity of produce sourcing.
Over 1,300 kitchen professionals have already signed the petition, warning that further disruption to fresh produce supply chains will be felt directly in Britain’s kitchens and on its menus.
“Britain’s fresh produce supply already spans the globe for good reason — no single region, climate or trade relationship can carry that risk alone,” said FPC chief executive, Nigel Jenney.
“This platform gives everyone, from a chef in Manchester to a member of the public in Bristol, a direct way to tell their MP that a resilient supply chain isn’t optional. It’s ten minutes that could protect the food on Britain’s plates.”
Alongside the UK-EU Reset Action Pack and the ‘One Squeeze Too Far’ chefs’ petition, there is a rolling library of media coverage on the pressures facing the fresh produce supply chain.
The FPC estimates that around half of the UK’s fresh produce depends on imports from the rest of world and the EU combined, that 99.5 per cent of consignments cross the border in full compliance with existing rules.
The organisation has warned that the new deal with the EU, while easing imports and trade with Europe, risks delaying imports from further afield, which could result in higher food prices, shortages and supply chain costs of more than £300 million.
