Bread price may rise after dire UK wheat harvest
Justin Rowlatt Chief environment correspondent Tim Nicholson The price of flour and bread is set to rise after what could be the worst UK wheat harvest in 40 years, the industry is warning. Farmers say that the extreme weather over the last year is likely to mean wheat yields are down by up to 40%. […]
Jamie Oliver says more tax is not way to cut childhood obesity
Ian Westbrook Health reporter, BBC News PARLIAMENT TV Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall held up sugar sachets to show how many were in a soft drink before and after the sugar tax Jamie Oliver has told a select committee that more taxation is not the way to curb the UK’s obesity epidemic. Mr Oliver and […]
Will we see radical action?
Getty Images Strategies for tackling obesity in England have been much talked about – but consistency has been hard to find. Three different prime ministers in four years have all had their own approaches. Policies have been floated but implementation has been patchy. Now the outgoing chief medical officer for England has said in no […]
Do we use 8.5 billion straws a year in the UK?
Reality Check team BBC News BBC The claim: We use 8.5 billion plastic straws a year in the UK. Reality Check verdict: Nobody knows exactly how many straws are used each year. While Defra described it as a figure for the number of straws used in the UK, 8.5bn is actually only an estimate of […]
India’s ‘lockdown film’ is an edgy thriller
AMAZON PRIME VIDEO C U Soon is a 90-minute suspense thriller In late April, when life and work in India stalled under lockdown, a young director decided to make his next film. Theatres were shut and more than 60 films made in the southern state of Kerala, where he lives, were languishing in the cans. […]
Mixed food loads pose problems for traders
John Campbell BBC News NI Economics & Business Editor BBC Mixed loads of food products have emerged as the major problem for trade across the new Irish Sea border. “Groupage” is a type of haulage where goods from different companies for different customers are grouped together on one lorry. It is causing problems with food […]
Bee-harming pesticide use given emergency authorisation
Malcolm Prior BBC News Rural Affairs team Getty Images Neonicotinoids can have harmful effects on pollinators The UK government has again given emergency authorisation for the use of a type of pesticide banned because of the harm it can cause bees. Permission to use a neonicotinoid on sugar beet seeds has been given to protect […]
How do bottle deposit schemes work?
Reality Check team BBC News Getty Images A scheme is being proposed to encourage recycling and cut plastic waste, which would see customers in England pay more for drinks in the shops. Customers will then be able to claim the money back if they return their drinks containers to be recycled. Scotland has already announced […]
North Sea whale death raises by-catch safety fears
PA Media Humpy the humpback whale washed up dead on the beach at Blyth The recent death of a humpback whale off the Northumberland coast has raised interest in and concerns for the marine mammals in the North Sea. With the number of whale sightings in the area growing, what can be done to protect […]
Pret A Manger to double reusable coffee cup discount
Getty Images High Street food and drink chain Pret A Manger is to increase the discount for bringing in a reusable cup to 50p from the first week in January. Since August, it has offered customers 25p off their coffee if they bring a reusable cup that it can be served in. In the UK, […]