Mayor of London Boris Johnson has appointed Rosie Boycott, former editor of the Independent on Sunday and organic farmer, as the Chair of London Food which was set up in 2003 to promote healthy eating in the capital.
Announcing the appointment Mr Johnson said Boycott “is as passionate as I am about the importance of locally produced, affordable food to our health and well-being as well as the role food can play in protecting our environment. Rosie is bursting with great ideas on how we can boost the level of top-notch food grown locally and support London’s local, independent food industries and smaller shops.”
Boycott said she was “absolutely thrilled to be taking up the cause of food in London on behalf of the Mayor.”
Former chair of London Food and Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones said she supported Ms Boycott’s appointment, commenting: “It is great that Rosie Boycott has taken over from me as chair of London Food. She is a high profile figure who will keep the London food strategy prominent as a mayoral priority.”
“I really hope that her experience as an organic farmer will help to bring a valuable insight to the challenges that farmers face, bring more local and regional food into the capital, help to reduce food inequality in the capital and reduce its huge ecological footprint”.