Wales Food Strategy: Experts Appointed to Guide Plans 2026

Key Points

• An Expert Working Group has been set up to assist in developing the National Food Strategy for Wales.
• The chair of the group is Simon Wright, owner of Wright’s Food Emporium based in Llanarthne.
• The group will have as its focus health and wellbeing, food security, the economy and rural development, and the environment.
• It will be taking a whole-system approach looking at farms, fisheries, retailers, schools, health care, procurement, and the circular economy.
• The members of the group will be drawn from farming, food businesses, education, the environment, public health, and community partnership sectors.
• There are three sub-groups that will look into issues around food in schools, food horticulture, and security of the Welsh meat supply chain.
• The group will consider the challenges, identify early actions and see how the public can participate in the strategy development process.
• The first findings are to be made available prior to January 2027, with draft recommendations by summer 2027, and a full report anticipated by autumn 2027.
• There is one additional independent member to be confirmed yet.

Wales (Wales Times) September 18, 2026 – The Welsh Government has appointed an Expert Working Group to help develop a National Food Strategy for Wales, bringing together specialists from agriculture, food production, public health, education, environmental organisations and community food partnerships.

The group is chaired by Simon Wright, owner of Wright’s Food Emporium in Llanarthne. According to Wales 247, Wright was appointed to lead the work in July after the proposed strategy was announced at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show. He has since worked with representatives from across the food and farming sector to establish the group’s terms of reference.

The terms of reference set out four principal areas for the strategy: health and wellbeing, food security, the economy and rural development, and the environment. The approach is intended to examine the food system as a whole rather than considering farming, retail, public health and environmental policy separately.

The development is expected to affect farmers, food producers, retailers, schools, communities, consumers and organisations involved in Wales’s rural economy. The group’s recommendations could help shape future priorities relating to how food is produced, sold, consumed and procured across the country.

What is the Wales food strategy working group expected to do?

The Expert Working Group will examine the challenges and opportunities facing Wales’s food system. Its members will be expected to consider how different parts of that system interact, from primary production on farms to the way food reaches consumers through shops, hospitality businesses, schools and public services.

The group will recommend early interventions that could support the wider strategy. It will also develop ways for people across Wales to participate in the process and contribute to the discussion about the country’s food future.

According to the terms of reference reported by Wales 247, the whole-system approach will include food production, retail, health, education, public procurement and the circular economy. This means the strategy is not limited to agricultural policy. It is also expected to consider nutrition, access to food, the use of public-sector purchasing power, waste reduction and the economic role of food businesses.

The group’s work is therefore likely to connect issues that are often discussed separately. These include the financial sustainability of farms, healthy diets, the resilience of supply chains, the protection of natural resources and the development of rural communities.

Who has been appointed to the group?

The working group includes figures from a range of Welsh and UK organisations. Its membership includes Ian Rickman of the Farmers’ Union of Wales, Sarah Gould of Lantra and Tim Lang of City University London.

It also includes Deiniol ap Dafydd of Blas ar Fwyd, Catherine Smith of Hybu Cig Cymru, Sue Pritchard of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission and Sam Kemp of Torfaen Food Partnership.

Shea Buckland-Jones of WWF Cymru, Dr Rhian Hayward of the Food Standards Agency and a representative from NFU Cymru are also included. One further independent member is expected to be confirmed.

The membership is intended to provide expertise across several parts of the food system. Farming and food-sector representatives bring knowledge of production and supply chains, while public health, environmental and community organisations provide perspectives on nutrition, sustainability and access to food.

The inclusion of representatives from organisations such as Hybu Cig Cymru and the farming unions also places the Welsh agricultural sector within the central discussion about the future of food in Wales. At the same time, members from food partnerships and environmental organisations broaden the process beyond agricultural production.

Which priorities will the sub-groups examine?

Three sub-groups will undertake more focused work on food in schools, edible horticulture and the security of the Welsh meat supply chain.

The food-in-schools sub-group will examine the role of schools in the wider food system. Schools are significant public institutions where food, health, education and procurement meet. The group’s work in this area could inform discussion about how children access food and learn about nutrition and production.

The edible-horticulture sub-group will focus on the cultivation of fruit, vegetables and other edible plants. Horticulture forms part of the wider debate about food resilience, local production and healthier diets.

The third sub-group will consider the security of the Welsh meat supply chain. Its work is expected to examine the resilience of a sector involving farmers, processors, retailers and consumers. The subject also links food security with the economic importance of livestock production in rural Wales.

These sub-groups will allow the wider Expert Working Group to examine specific issues in greater detail while maintaining the broader strategy’s focus on the complete food system.

What did Llyr Gruffydd say about the appointment?

Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability Llyr Gruffydd welcomed the appointment of the group’s members.

As reported by Wales 247, Gruffydd said: “I want to thank all those who have agreed to serve on this Expert Working Group. Their breadth of experience, from our farms and fisheries to our schools and communities, reflects the scale of ambition we need to transform our food system for the better.”

His statement highlighted the range of sectors represented in the group. The reference to farms, fisheries, schools and communities reflects the Welsh Government’s intention to treat food policy as a national issue involving both production and public services.

The minister’s comments also indicate that the strategy is expected to have an ambitious remit. However, the practical effect of the strategy will depend on the recommendations made by the group and how Welsh Ministers respond to its final report.

What did Simon Wright say about the strategy?

Simon Wright, chair of the Expert Working Group, said he was pleased that representatives from across Welsh food and farming had agreed to participate.

As reported by Wales 247, Wright said: “I’m pleased and excited that so many respected voices from across Welsh food and farming have agreed to join this work.”

He added: “We will be working with stakeholders and communities across Wales in a national mission to achieve a more prosperous, healthier, environmentally friendly and secure future for Welsh food.”

Wright’s comments place stakeholder and community participation at the centre of the group’s work. They also identify four intended outcomes: greater prosperity, improved health, environmental responsibility and stronger food security.

The reference to a national mission suggests that the strategy is intended to involve people and organisations beyond the working group itself. The terms of reference specifically include developing ways for the public to help shape the strategy.

When will the group publish its findings?

The Expert Working Group is expected to report on at least one of its initial priorities before January 2027. This will provide an early indication of the group’s direction and may give Welsh Ministers and stakeholders an opportunity to consider immediate actions.

Draft proposals are expected to be published in summer 2027. The draft stage should allow stakeholders and communities to respond before the strategy is completed.

The group is expected to present its final report to Welsh Ministers by autumn 2027. The final report will represent the conclusion of the working group’s initial phase, although the subsequent implementation of any recommendations will be a matter for the Welsh Government and relevant partners.

One additional independent member remains to be confirmed. The final membership could therefore change slightly before the group completes its work.

Why does the development matter to Wales?

The appointment brings together organisations connected with food production, public health, education, environmental protection and rural development. This structure recognises that food policy can affect several areas of public life at the same time.

For farmers and food producers, the strategy could provide a framework for future discussions about supply-chain resilience, rural economies and environmental responsibilities. For schools and communities, it could lead to greater attention to food access, nutrition and local procurement.

The group’s work may also influence how public bodies consider food purchasing. Public procurement is included within the strategy’s whole-system approach, meaning schools, healthcare services and other public institutions could form part of the future policy discussion.

The environmental dimension is another important element. By including the circular economy and environmental organisations, the group is expected to consider how food production and consumption relate to waste, resource use and long-term sustainability.

The strategy is still at an early stage, and no final policy measures have been announced. The working group’s initial reports and draft proposals will provide more detail about which actions are considered achievable and which areas are prioritised.

Background to Wales’s national food strategy

The Expert Working Group follows the announcement of plans for a National Food Strategy for Wales at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show. Simon Wright was appointed chair in July and subsequently worked with sector representatives to prepare the group’s terms of reference.

The terms of reference divide the strategy’s focus across health and wellbeing, food security, the economy and rural development, and the environment. They also describe a whole-system approach covering food production, retail, health, education, public procurement and the circular economy.

The group’s membership reflects this broad remit. It includes farming organisations, food businesses, agricultural and rural training, academic expertise, environmental campaigners, food partnerships and food standards representatives.

Its initial programme is structured around three sub-groups covering schools, edible horticulture and the Welsh meat supply chain. The group is expected to publish an initial report before January 2027, draft proposals in summer 2027 and a final report for Welsh Ministers in autumn 2027.

Prediction: how could the strategy affect Welsh audiences?

The development is likely to create the greatest immediate interest among farmers, food producers, schools, local authorities, community organisations and consumers concerned about food prices, access and quality.

Farmers and food businesses may watch the group’s early recommendations closely because future proposals could influence discussions about supply chains, procurement, rural development and environmental standards. However, the precise effect cannot yet be established because the group has not published its draft proposals.

Schools and families could be affected if the strategy produces recommendations on school food, nutrition education or public-sector purchasing. Community food partnerships may also gain a stronger role if the public participation process gives local organisations opportunities to contribute to the strategy.

Consumers may see longer-term changes if the final strategy supports more resilient local supply chains, increased access to healthy food or greater use of Welsh produce in public procurement. Any such changes would depend on decisions taken after the working group reports to Welsh Ministers.

The most significant stage will be the publication of the draft proposals in summer 2027. That document should show whether the strategy is primarily focused on recommendations, specific early interventions or a wider programme of policy change. Until then, the confirmed development is the creation of the expert group and its timetable for preparing advice.