description
- Horticultural crops (vegetables, fruit, potatoes, flowers) contribute over £4 Billion to the UK economy per annum, making the sector even more valuable to our national economy than cereal crops such as wheat, barley and oats (worth >£3 Billion; Defra National Statistics 2019). Horticultural crops are major components of a healthy diet, yet the majority of UK citizens fail to consume enough vegetables and fruit. Consumption of a high dietary proportion of vegetables and fruit contributes to the prevention of non-communicable diseases, which themselves cost the NHS substantial amounts of money per annum, lost days at work and poor attendance at school. Potatoes also provide essential dietary nutrients and fibre and are particularly suitable for consumers who do not tolerate gluten. There is therefore a benefit to human health and the economy to developing horticultural crops that have a high concentration of beneficial nutrients, with flavour characteristics enjoyed by consumers and a shelf life that provides more flexibility in meal planning. There are benefits to the environment and the economy from reducing food loss along the supply chain, particularly when standard practices for extending shelf life, such as the use of plastic packaging, are being discouraged and the consumption of UK grown crops is encouraged. These provide their own technical challenges, requiring crops that reach optimal harvest stage over a wider and more predictable seasonal window, that are of consistent and uniform quality, are resilient to bacteria, fungi and biochemical processes that cause spoilage, and which have extended storage life when they reach the consumer. The sector therefore needs this timely intervention of scientific and technological development to address these challenges and develop more sustainable food systems that have a lower environmental footprint and allow more of the food harvested to reach the table. The Horticulture Quality and Food Loss Network will provide a focal point for industrial and academic practitioners to work together to develop new solutions to improve horticultural crop quality and prevent food loss. The Network will provide small-scale research funding to develop partnerships that can go on to win higher value funding that makes a step change difference to the sector. The Network will facilitate the development of collaborations between business and academia, and of academics from different disciplines. It will have some funding ring-fenced for early career researchers, ensuring that there is a legacy of people developing high quality research in this area, as well as individual projects that will subsequently mature into long term solutions for the sector. The Network will be closely engaged with government policy makers and advisory bodies to ensure that information flow is two way - that researchers and businesses understand the environmental and economic consequences of food loss and quality loss, and also that policy makers understand the benefits of supporting this sector for the economy, environment and public health.