22 April 2008
Gordon Brown is to host a meeting of food producers, retailers and consumers today to deal with the growing world food crisis.
The meeting aims to address the short and longer-term factors causing increased food prices at home and abroad.
In an article published on this website, the Prime Minister said that the issue doesn’t just affect those in the developing world but also in the developed world, as people in the UK have seen their weekly grocery bills rise.
He added that tackling hunger is a "moral challenge to each of us" and also threatens the "political and economic stability of nations".
"I want to see an agricultural revolution that helps poor farmers in developing countries to grow more and we need to ensure more of the food they produce gets to market rather than being left to rot, as more than half is at present."
The meeting builds on the letter the PM recently sent to other G8 leaders. The aim is to develop a plan to take to the EU in June, the G8 in July, and the special meeting of the UN on September 25th.
Expected at the meeting are:
1. Prime Minister
2. Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State DFID
3. Hilary Benn, Secretary of State DEFRA
4. Professor John Beddington, Chief Scientist
5. Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the World Food Programme
6. Simon Maxwell, Overseas Development Institute
7. Kanayo Felix Nwanze, Vice President International Fund for Agricultural Development
8. Malcolm Bruce MP
9. Paul Collier, Oxford University
10. Professor Ian Crute, Rothamsted Research Institute
11. Andrew Dorward, School of Oriental and African Studies
12. Lawrence Haddad, Institute of Development Studies
13. Paul Hodson, EC Transport & Energy
14. Donal Kaberuka, African Development Bank
15. Reijo Kemppinen, Head of Mission, EC Rep of the UK
16. Justin King, Chief Exec, Sainsbury’s
17. Dr Mike Bushell, Head of R&D Europe Syngenta
18. Koen Doens, Head of Louis Michel’s Cabinet
19. Ruth Rawling, Cargill Grain Traders
20. Stefan Tangermann, OECD Trade & Agriculture Directorate
21. Goran Trapp, Morgan Stanley
22. David Mepham, Director of Policy Save the Children
23. Phil Bloomer, Oxfam
24. Peter Kendall, NFU
25. Ed Mayo, National Consumer Council
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