The Global Food Security (GFS) programme has published a new report highlighting the opportunities and challenges facing the UK food retail and manufacturing business in supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The report follows on from a GFS programme workshop attended by key stakeholders from industry, academia and NGOs – including participants from Sainsbury’s, Nestle, ASDA and M&S. Participants sought to explore how far UK food retail and manufacturing businesses are prepared for and engaged with the SDGs, and how research might help them play their part in meeting the goals.
The SDGs were agreed to be a highly relevant and useful framework for the UK food industry, with the majority of participating businesses planning to embed the goals into their future business strategies; however, a number of challenges facing the implementation of the goals by the private sector were also identified. These challenges include: the breadth and long-term lifespan of the goals making them difficult to align to normal business operational time frames; and a lack of appropriate metrics to measure progress against the goals and overall impact.
It was agreed that collaboration with the research base would be important in addressing these challenges and developing new knowledge, particularly in translating the SDGs into a language more accessible to business and developing suitable metrics. The £1.5 billion Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the £4.7 billion Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund present opportunities for stronger engagement between the research base and the food industry through interdisciplinary research calls around the SDG agenda.
It was also highlighted that industry will not be able to implement the goals alone, with activity from across the food system required to successfully deliver the SDGs. In particular, governments have an important role in creating an enabling environment the food sector to play their part in meeting the goals.
The 17 SDGs were adopted by the UN in 2015 with the aim of driving the implementation of global sustainable development. Food security plays an important role in this agenda with a number of the goals highly aligned with food system challenges. Whilst governments will need to lead the implementation of the SDGs through national plans, the role of the private sector will be equally vital in achieving the goals.
Read the full report:
UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UK food retail and manufacturing business
The 17 SDGs were adopted by the UN in 2015 with the aim of driving the implementation of global sustainable development. This report details discussion at an industry focused workshop exploring how far UK food retail and manufacturing businesses are prepared for and engaged with the SDGs, and how research might help them play their part in meeting the goals.
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ENDS