The government’s top adviser of food has launched an outspoken attack on Boris Johnson’s plans for the industry.
Henry Dimbleby said the eagerly-anticipated blueprint was “not a strategy” and could lead to an increase in the number of children going hungry.
Ministers will unveil their food strategy, which is designed to make the UK less reliant on imports from abroad, encourage people to eat more healthily and lessen the environmental damage done by the farming industry, later today.
But some of Dimbleby’s key recommendations, including a tax on food high in sugar and salt, have been ditched.
Speaking to The Guardian, Dimbleby - founder of the Leon restaurant chain - said the government’s plans were “not a strategy”.
He said: “It doesn’t set out a clear vision as to why we have the problems we have now and it doesn’t set out what needs to be done.”
Dimbleby said “there was nothing really there on health” and was particularly critical that the government’s strategy did little to encourage people to eat less meat.
″They have said we need alternative proteins but they have not mentioned the unavoidable truth that the meat consumption in this country is not compatible with a farming system that protects agriculture and sequesters carbon,” he said.
The food expert said he was also disappointed that the strategy had rejected his calls for 1.5 million more children to qualify for free school meals.
He said: “With inflation as it is, both the amount spent on free school meals is significantly less in real terms than it was a year ago and the number of people who need it is significantly more – we need to tackle that.
“I do hope it is being looked at. People are being inflated into poverty and food providers are being inflated into not producing healthy meals.”
In a separate interview with Sky News on Monday, Dimbleby also said the government needed to have the “courage” to take action.
“In the end our food system will change because by definition it can’t survive as it is,” he said.
The National Farmers Union said ministers had “stripped to the bone” proposals from the Dimbleby review, while Labour said the document was “nothing more than a statement of vague intentions”.
But Boris Johnson said: “Our food strategy sets out a blueprint for how we will back farmers, boost British industry and help protect people against the impacts of future economic shocks by safeguarding our food security.
“Harnessing new technologies and innovation, we will grow and eat more of our own food – unlocking jobs across the country and growing the economy, which in turn will ultimately help to reduce pressure on prices.”