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To say Henry Dimbleby has a mammoth task on his hands is a significant understatement. As leader of the National Food Strategy, the government’s landmark review of England’s food system, he’s tackling some of the most complex and urgent challenges of modern times: how can we stop our food system from continuing to damage the environment and the nation’s health? How can everyone, regardless of their income, continue to enjoy safe, healthy and affordable food post-Brexit, in a rapidly changing world?
Dimbleby admits the scope of the National Food Strategy review is “insanely broad”. But he didn’t hesitate to say yes last year when Michael Gove, the then Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, asked Henry to take the helm. “I was excited by the ambition and the issues,” he says.