CEO of Food & Drink Federation tells industry to stand up for itself
Published on: 11 January 2019
Ian Wright CBE, the chief executive of the Food & Drink Federation (FDF) was the guest speaker at the WCB Court Lunch in January, and encouraged the meat industry to “stand up” to veganism in what was a thought-provoking and insightful speech.
The first Court Lunch of the year was held at Leathersellers Hall, a fantastic venue that Liverymen and their guests thoroughly enjoyed.
Addressing those in attendance following lunch, Mr Wright said: “It is right that people should choose how they eat and how they lead their lives. But, you need to take it on. You need to fight, you need to stand up. You need to resource a campaign and an approach that will deal with this.
“Now I’m told at the Paris summit follow up in Warsaw last month there was almost no case put for the red meat industry and indeed the dairy industry. That cannot be right, it’s ludicrous in view of what most people do and think and the way they live their lives. You have to be prepared to write to your MPs, to campaign with your companies and to support your trade associations.”
Wright also argued that all consumers have the right to choose what they eat. He said: “Currently veganism is a mish mash of different stimulations, some of the time it’s about morality, some of the time it’s about health, some of the time it’s about the environmental concerns.
“I don’t mean they don’t have a legitimate point of view, of course they do: vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians all have the right to choose,” he commented, “but so do ordinary consumers who have the choice of red meat or poultry, or whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want, and you must support it.”
Roger Anderton, Robert Cannon and Richard Norris were clothed during a Court Meeting prior to lunch and were welcomed to the Butchers’ Company by the Master, Graham Baker.
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