Farming: Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS)
The
Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS) will help the Food Industry
contribute to the UK’s sustainability goal.
This is important because the food industry accounts for:
- about 14% of energy consumption by UK businesses and 7 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year
- about 10% of all industrial use of the public water supply
- about 10% of the industrial and commercial waste stream
- 25% of all HGV vehicle kilometres in the UK
- healthy food choices and information that will assist consumers to adopt more healthy and balanced diets; and
- 12.5% of the UK's workforce
The strategy is aimed principally at the Food Industry, but may be of interest to anyone wishing to find out more about sustainability, reduction in energy consumption, food transport, the use of water, the management of waste, corporate social responsibility, ethical trading or better regulation.
The Strategy was published in May 2006 and can be downloaded here.
FISS Progress report, July 2007
Much work has been ongoing within industry and government since the publication of the FISS. This 21 page progress report highlights some of the achievements over the last year and provides links to where further information can be found.
- Highlights of progress made during the first year of the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (pdf, 150 KB)
Who is ensuring that the Strategy delivers real benefits?
In her foreword to the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy, the then Secretary of State, Margaret Beckett, highlighted the importance of wider industry engagement in improving the sustainability of the food and drink industry and invited industry-led Champions' groups to report to her on the measures necessary for making progress and the means of monitoring success.
Since the publication of the Strategy, Defra and the food industry have been working together to create action plans based on the headline targets in the Strategy. The industry led Champions Groups were established to identify where progress can be made. The groups examined current best practice, looked at ways of working and have identified barriers which may discourage the industry from behaving in a more sustainable way.
- Energy and climate change group
- Ethical trading group
- Food transportation group
- Water use group
- Waste management group
- Corporate Social Responsibility group
- Food Industry Better Regulation Group (FIBR) - established as a high level forum through which industry and Government can add value to food related policies and legislative processes
What is Government doing now?
The Champions Groups working on, Energy Use and Climate Change, Ethical Trading, Food Transportation, Waste and Water each produced a report detailing how the food industry can make progress towards a more sustainable future. The reports include recommendations to Ministers as to how targets can be met. The reports were published in May 2007 and were followed by a 12 week web based Review, where the industry and interested parties were invited to comment. Please see the individual links above to access the reports.
What is the plan for the future?
Ministers and officials are considering the recommendations in the Groups’ reports and the feedback from the industry and interested parties over the summer months with a view to drawing up an action plan to take the elements of FISS forward in liaison and collaboration with industry over the next year.
- FISS Review 2007 Executive Summary (PDF 350 KB)
Contact the FISS Secretariat
The FISS secretariat can be contacted by email at fiss@defra.gsi.gov.uk or in writing to:
FISS Secretariat
Defra
Area 4C/D, Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
Background
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documents.
Page
last modified 07 February 2008
Page published: 26 April 2006