​Wales announces ‘transformational’ new food strategy

Wales has announced a new national food strategy that will link policy, production, processing retail and health.

Announced yesterday (21 July), at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, the strategy is designed to transform the way Wales thinks about food, including how it impacts health, education, public procurement and the circular economy.

Hospitality veteran and owner of Wright’s Food Emporium, Simon Wright, has been appointed to chair the expert working group that will advise the Welsh Government on the strategy’s development.

He will lead conversations with producers, businesses and communities across Wales, aiming to identify what is working well and where gaps exist. 

Among the strategy aims, the Welsh government hopes it will make food policies work better to support producers, reinvest more Welsh food in Wales, and promote food literacy and healthy eating.

“This strategy will bring together the whole food system; from our farmers and fishers to our retailers, schools and communities, so that we can make better, more joined-up decisions for the benefit of everyone in Wales,” said Welsh cabinet minister for rural resilience and sustainability, Llyr Gruffydd.

“I am delighted that Simon Wright has agreed to lead this work. His passion for Welsh food and deep roots in the industry makes him exactly the right person for the role.”

Wright said the strategy is an opportunity to “get things right” for the food industry. “I welcome the ambition of the new government, and I look forward to working with producers, businesses and communities to make it happen,” he said.

The final strategy is expected to be presented to ministers during 2027.

The English government’s version of a food strategy, called the Good Food Cycle, was released in summer 2025 and aims to connect health, diets, and the affordability of food. 

Scotland’s Good Food Plan was mandated into an Act in 2022.