Due to an unexpected diary change the Rt. Hon. Mark Spencer MP, Minister of State for Food, Farming and Fisheries was unable to attend. BFFF chief executive Rupert Ashby and president Ian Stone had a productive meeting with DEFRA officials.
Ashby said: “Consumers are increasingly seeing that frozen food is high quality, tastes great, and during a time of high inflation provides an affordable way to maintain a balanced diet. Frozen food also helps to reduce food waste, saving households money and reducing carbon emissions, due to the long shelf-life of frozen produce and easier portion control compared to fresh and chilled foods.”
They duo raised key issues facing BFFF members including the rising fuel and energy costs, food waste, labour shortages, the Government’s obesity strategy and the 2023 cold water shrimp quota.
Stone added: “The DEFRA officials we met today were very receptive to the points we raised. As a farmer by trade, Mark Spencer seems ideally placed as Food Minister and I anticipate that Rupert Ashby and myself will have a strong working relationship with the minister moving forward.”