31 July 2015

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Following the success of its first-ever Sustainability Convention in 2014, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is bringing together industry experts to tackle the challenge of climate change at a special event on 10 November 2015.

Helping food and drink businesses through discussions, workshops and panels will be experts from Nestlé, McCain Foods, Tesco, McDonald's and advisers from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), the Met Office and Environment Agency. The speaker line-up includes:

• Nick Vermont, Regional CEO & FDF Sustainability Steering Group Chair, McCain Foods
• Josh Hardie, Group Corporate Responsibility Director, Tesco
• Richard Swannell, Director, WRAP
• Ryan McNeill, Resource Efficiency Lead, Nestlé UK & Ireland
• Paul van Heyningen, Deputy Director for Industrial Energy Efficiency, DECC

The event will be chaired by Vincent Neate, Head of Climate Change and Sustainability at industry advisers KPMG.

Topics such as food security in the face of climate change, potential business risks, UK climate change policy and impacts on manufacturers, and practical actions businesses can take will all be covered.

FDF's Director General Ian Wright said: “Climate change is a major issue faced by all food and drink businesses. Our Sustainability Convention will provide practical solutions that can be easily tailored to businesses both large and small.“

“Through FDF's Five-fold Environmental Ambition, our members have already successfully reduced their CO2 emissions by 35% - way ahead of the original target date of 2020, along with other major environmental improvements. However, there is always more that can be done and we are confident that our unique line-up of speakers will provide valuable insights enabling companies to grow their sustainability efforts even further.“

Vincent Neate, Head of Climate Change and Sustainability at KPMG, said: “Our world is becoming increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. This creates risk but also an unprecedented opportunity for those businesses that can invest in working together to create a more resilient, more productive and more adaptive food system now and in the future. This event is a great chance for food and drink companies to learn from each other to create the outcomes that are right for their businesses and customers.“

Note to Editors:

1. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is the voice of the food and drink manufacturing industry – the UK's largest manufacturing sector.
2. Find out more about FDF's 'Managing Sustainability Opportunities and Risks in the Food & Drink Industry' event
3. The event will take place at One Great George Street, London on 10 November 2015 from 9am – 4pm
4. Delegate rates: £300+VAT for FDF Members and £350+VAT for Non-Members
5. Exhibitor and sponsor opportunities available – for more information, please contact Susie Latter on 020 7420 7149
6. To register, email events@fdf.org.uk or call 020 7420 7149

For more Information contact:

FDF press office press.office@fdf.org.uk 020 7420 7140 / 7118.

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