The review, led by Henry Dimbleby, founder of the restaurant chain Leon, was commissioned in 2019 by Michael Gove and billed as the first independent evaluation of the entire English food system in 75 years. Dimbleby released the second of two reports last year and called for urgent changes in British food production to combat obesity and climate change. On Monday, Environment Secretary George Eustice will unveil the White Paper on Government Food Strategy, the official response to the Dimbleby-led review. However, a draft of the document, seen by the Financial Times, rejects Dimbleby’s recommendations to introduce a reform tax on sugar and salt, guarantee agricultural subsidies by 2029 or invest 1 1 billion in food system innovation. The rejection is the latest example of the Johnson administration retreating from policies considered “non-conservative” or “anti-business” as the besieged prime minister, who survived a no-confidence vote of just 59-41 per cent on Monday, is trying to rebuild support within his party. The draft White Paper, dated May 2022, says the government accepts “much of the analysis” and “the majority of the recommendations” in the Dimbleby review. Ministers plan to take initiatives such as mandatory health reporting for large food companies and support for alternative proteins, such as plant-based meat substitutes and laboratory meat. But they rejected his call for a new tax of λι 3 per kilogram of sugar and λι 6 per kilogram of salt sold for use in processed foods, restaurants and catering. Dibleby had said the measure could raise 9 2.9 billion to 4 3.4 billion a year, with some of that revenue being used to buy fresh fruit and vegetables for low-income families. Government officials said it would be politically foolish to introduce the new tax as households faced a wider cost-of-living crisis. “Even [Dimbleby] “He realizes that you can not do it right now, when families are under the barrel,” said one. The move comes weeks after ministers chose to delay measures to curb promotions and snack advertising due to take effect in October, again citing the cost-of-living crisis. Diblebi urged the government to guarantee the current budget for farm payments by 2029 to help farmers switch to more sustainable methods. However, the draft document ignores this request and reiterates the commitment to maintain the budget in the current parliament or until 2024. “We do not want to tie the hands of a future government,” said one Eustice ally. The document also does not accept a recommendation that the government commit 1 1 billion to food innovation – although ministers plan to set up a “What Works” Center to gather data on new farming methods, another of Dibbleby’s ideas. The White Paper does not adopt a recommendation on the labeling of food with its environmental impact, but is committed to changes in labeling related to animal health and welfare. The report was rewritten after the Russian invasion of Ukraine with a greater emphasis on food security. It states that the United Kingdom has a high self-sufficiency in wheat, beef, milk, lamb, poultry and carrots, with an overall “production to supply ratio” of healthy food at 74 percent. But the government will push for more production of some products, such as cucumbers and tomatoes, which are currently mainly imported from abroad. The report argues that domestic production could be increased through better use of greenhouses.

Rob Percival, head of food policy at the Soil Association, said the White Paper “was not ambitious enough and represents a huge missed opportunity”. Louisa Casson, head of food and forestry at Greenpeace UK, said: “Ministers have turned a blind eye to the vast majority of the recommendations in the independent review that they have commissioned. “They ignore science and their own experts.” Diblby declined to comment. Defra, the environment department, also declined to comment.