Brexit, for better or worse, means a major structural change in how people in the UK think about the food they eat. There is an opportunity to reformulate food policy for the better, but this could be easily squandered if not managed carefully.
About the Authors
Professor Tim Benton is Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Energy, Environment and Resources Department at Chatham House. He is also Dean of Strategic Research Initiatives at the University of Leeds. From 2011 to 2016 he was the ‘champion’ of the UK’s Global Food Security (GFS) programme, a multi-agency partnership of the UK’s public bodies (government departments, devolved governments and research councils) with an interest in the challenges around food. The key role of GFS was to undertake systemic analysis and horizon scanning, in order to identify priorities to mitigate the challenges of providing sufficient, sustainable and nutritious diets for all. He has published over 150 academic papers, most tackling the core themes of agriculture’s environmental impact and more generally how systems respond to environmental change. He is a frequent contributor to events around the world.
Antony Froggatt has been a senior research fellow in the Energy, Environment and Resources Department (EER) at Chatham House since 2007. His current research work specializes in the implications of Brexit for energy, global electricity policy and the public understanding of climate change. He is also an associate member of the Energy Policy Group (EPG) at Exeter University. He has worked as an independent consultant for 20 years with environmental groups, academics and public bodies in Europe and Asia, and also as a freelance journalist.
Georgina Wright was a research associate with the Europe Programme at Chatham House until December 2018, and is now a senior researcher at the Institute for Government. Before joining Chatham House in 2014, she worked in the Directorate for Central and West Africa in DG DEVCO at the European Commission, and as a summer researcher at NATO. Her research interests include the UK’s relationship with the EU, EU foreign and security policy, and the future of the EU. She read politics at the University of Edinburgh, and holds an MA in EU international relations and diplomacy studies from the College of Europe (Bruges).
Dr Catherine E. Thompson is a post-doctoral researcher based at the University of Leeds, working in collaboration with the FRESCA group and major retail to assess sustainability in global fresh produce supply chains. She read biological sciences at the University of Durham, and has an MA in biodiversity and conservation and a PhD in honey bee health from the University of Leeds.
Richard King is a senior research fellow in the Energy, Environment and Resources (EER) Department at Chatham House. He works on issues related to the sustainable uses of, and trade in, food, water, energy, and mineral resources. Prior to joining Chatham House, Richard was deputy head of research at Oxfam GB, where he focused on issues related to economic, environmental, and social justice. He specialized in food and rural livelihoods, particularly in the contexts of climate change, resource constraints and market volatility. He has an MSc in economics and management of international development from the University of Manchester, and a BSc in Geography from the University of Durham.