Mayor Livingstone has announced the creation of a new body help improve the health of Londoners and look at ways of making London’s food more sustainable.
The new body, named London Food, is to be chaired by London Assembly Member, Jenny Jones and co-ordinated by the Mayor’s economic arm, the London Development Agency. It brings together leading figures from the food industry, agriculture, community groups and government.
Announcing the move Ken Livingstone said: “Londoners are more aware than ever of the importance of good food and diet. But there are still major barriers to access for many. I have set up this body to create practical schemes to enable people on low incomes to get access to healthy and affordable food, and get better quality food into London’s schools and hospitals. I’m sure that Jenny Jones and the board of London Food will also make sure the environmental aspects of food are taken very seriously.’
Jenny Jones said: “Our first job at London Food will be to develop a sustainable food strategy for London. This will include working with London’s 200 farmers to ensure a safe and secure supply of food and reduce our ecological footprint. London Food will promote local food concerns in London, but also to take into account global concerns such as climate change.
We are very fortunate that the board members of London Food have practical knowledge of overcoming the obstacles that London faces when trying to obtain fresh, nutritious, affordable, ethically produced food.”
