A leading grocery chief slammed the food industry for being scared of new developments in a major industry lecture on January 15.

In a controversial speech to the annual City Food lecture, Unilever boss Niall FitzGerald said that rational scientific debate was the way forward for food safety in the coming year, and demanded 'more imaginative regulation'.

He went on to brand agriculture subsidy a 'comfort blanket.' He said. 'We need to cast it off and embrace a diverse use of the countryside and a concentration on foods which offer real added value to both farmers and consumers.' 'We in the UK must recognise we must change to,' he added, 'this is not something that starts at Calais.' FitzGerald went to say that sustained and proper trading links with Africa, Latin America and Asia must be a key target for 2002.

He said: 'We must open our markets to the developing world. It is hypocrisy for us to shed crocodile tears for poorer countries yet confront them with tariff and other barriers which exclude them from the richest economies of the west.' The annual City Food lecture provides a national forum for the discussion of vital food issues at the beginning of the year.

The Sainsbury's backed event, which took place in the square mile, is supported by some of the City's most famous livery companies the Worshipful Bakers, Butchers, Cooks, Farmers, Fishmongers, Fruiterers and Poulters – as well as the Corporation of London.