King's Speech: What the F&B sector needs to know

The 2024 King’s Speech set out the draft laws which Labour intend to introduce over the next few months.

Among the proposals is a new Bill on clean, local energy, a legislative promise around ‘junk food’, a new deal for working people, an apprentice levy reform, and a renewed focus on economic growth.  

The speech was welcomed by various figureheads of the F&B sector, including Karen Betts, chief executive at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) who said the "ambitious agenda"​ was very much supported by the industry.

Here's several key priorities announced in the King's Speech, you should be aware of and how industry has reacted to them so far...

Child obesity and well-being

On the topic of health, the UK Government says it will bring in legislation around ‘junk food’ advertising and the sale of high caffeinated drinks to under 16s.

Betts welcomed the clarity provided on HFSS and said the FDF hoped that legislation and guidance will follow quickly to enable the industry time to prepare.

A Bill will also be introduced to raise standards in child well-being – a move welcomed by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) in light of high obesity rates and tooth decay in children, which it says are strongly linked to deprivation.

The Bill includes measures that aim to put children’s wellbeing at the forefront of the education system and to remove barriers to opportunity. A range of education and care policies are covered in the Bill, including a requirement for free breakfast provision in all primary schools in England.

Reacting to the news, Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the BNF, said: “We urgently need action to improve children’s health and ensure that every child can thrive. We welcome this commitment to improving children’s wellbeing and we hope this is the beginning of a journey to tackling health inequalities and providing opportunities for all children.”​

Economic growth and employment

Securing economic growth was earmarked as a ‘fundamental mission’ for the new Government and this will come in the form of, among other things, the establishment of an Industrial Strategy Council.  

As set out in its Manifesto, Labour’s industrial strategy has four central missions: delivering clean power by 2030, caring for the future, harnessing data for the public good and building a resilient economy.

Offering her thoughts, Betts said: “The government’s vision for an industrial strategy is particularly welcome. We hope this will drive good regulation and a dynamic business environment, alongside effective cross-government and intra-sector engagement. There are huge opportunities here to seize, to ensure our industry - the UK’s largest manufacturing sector – drives economic growth and skills development up and down the country.”​

The FDF boss also welcomed the New Deal for Working People, which will ban exploitative practices and enhance employment rights, alongside a reform to the apprenticeship levy.

“As an industry that employs half a million people, we look forward to engaging with government to ensure this policy works for both our workforce and the diverse range of employers in our sector, 97% of which are SMEs,” ​she said.

“It's good to see too the announcement of the growth and skills levy, which we hope will help to address the chronic skills shortage we currently face, at all skill levels, from operators and engineers to food technologists and scientists.”  ​

Clean energy

Related to clean energy, the speech outlined the UK Government’s intention to set up what it’s calling ‘Great British Energy’ – a publicly owned, clean power company based in Scotland.

The hope is that this will accelerate investment into renewables, such as offshore wind, and help the nation achieve energy independence.

This announcement follows the recent news of Labour’s onshore wind ban lift, which had been previously barred by the Conservative Government.  

Phil Pluck, CEO of the Cold Chain Federation (CCF), believes the energy proposals set out in today's speech hold “immense potential to drive positive change across the cold chain sector”.​

“Our industry has been hit hard by the energy crisis over the past 24 months, so we are keen to see the detail of how GB Energy will help support energy-intensive industries such as ours,” ​Pluck continued.

“As an industry we have made huge advances in converting to a greener future whilst still ensuring vital services to food and pharmaceutical storage and delivery. We look forward to continuing our partnership with government around schemes such as the Climate Change Agreement, but also to identify new ways in which government can encourage the cold chain sector to accelerate the uptake of green and renewable energy schemes in temperature-controlled vehicles.”​

Putting words into action

The NFU president Tom Bradshaw was also pleased with a number of the Bills included in the speech, describing them as “significant for British farm businesses and the nation’s food security”.​

“I am pleased to say we have heard this new government repeatedly state that food security is critical for national security. Now that it has set out its legislative activity for this session of Parliament, we need to see a plan for food production which backs this up. With farmer confidence at an all-time low, investment in food and farming via an increased multi-annual agriculture budget is key to unlocking growth and future prosperity,” ​he said.

“Our farmers and growers are ambitious for the future, and with new policies that revitalise farm business confidence, government can help to kickstart economic growth, deliver affordable, climate friendly, high welfare food production, improve the environment, and stimulate clean energy supply.​

“We look forward to working in partnership with this new government to help shape the legislation that will deliver this change,” ​he said.

Betts shared similar sentiments, saying the focus for the FDF will now be working with the Government to implement the policies outlined in today’s speech.

“We're confident that, with the right partnership with government, we can turn the challenges our sector is facing – from boosting science and innovation, to reaching net zero, and supporting healthier and more sustainable diets and lifestyles – into tangible opportunities for economic growth,” ​she concluded.

In other news, Regal Food has made another acquisition.​​