Policy innovations for a Good Food Cycle in the UK
UK Policy Briefing, August 2025
In July 2025, the UK government announced its aim of creating a new national food strategy, the ‘Good Food Cycle,’ a key goal of which is to support the sales of healthier and more environmentally sustainable food products. This presents an important opportunity to promote plant-based food production and plant-rich diets, while tackling multiple national challenges in the process.
Other European countries are already taking the lead with concrete policy measures aimed at rebalancing their mix of animal- and plant-based food sales. This policy briefing showcases some of these approaches using international case studies, and includes the following recommendations:
- Update dietary guidelines to reflect health and sustainability impacts: Along with several other countries in Europe, Germany’s national dietary guidelines recommend upper limits on meat consumption and encourage increased consumption of plant-based food.
- Institute protein-diversification reporting for large food businesses: In the Netherlands, almost all major supermarkets publicly report their split of animal versus plant-based proteins, with progress monitored by national government.
- Mobilize public-sector catering: Spain’s Royal Decree on school catering ensures that plant-based foods play a prominent role in schools, and makes mandatory provision for plant-based meals for those that want them.
- Develop a national Plant-Based Action Plan: Denmark’s Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods provides a comprehensive framework for boosting the plant-based economy from farm to fork.
An ever greater number of countries are implementing these and similar measures in order to increase the production and consumption of plant-rich foods. Given the current focus on a national food strategy for the UK, it’s time for the government to adopt such policies, building on business leadership and the growing public demand for healthier and more sustainable diets.
