Sainsbury’s urges industry action to secure future of good food as it signs Good Food Bill

• Sainsbury’s signs the Good Food Bill, joining calls for cross-industry and government action to deliver more resilient food system
• The Bill proposes a new framework to embed long-term food system objectives across government, focused on resilience, health and sustainability
• Builds on Sainsbury’s continued work to support healthier diets, increase access to good food for everyone and deliver a stronger food system in partnership with farmers and suppliers

Thursday 16 July 2026 – Sainsbury’s has today pledged support for the Good Food Bill joining calls for industry and Government to work more closely to improve the resilience of the UK food system. The Bill asks for a holistic plan to transform the UK’s food system to ensure it can withstand challenges such as extreme weather and geopolitical crises and help everyone access good, nutritious food. 

Sainsbury’s support for the Bill comes at a critical time as recent heatwaves across Europe have put UK’s food system resilience in the spotlight. The retailer has already taken significant steps to tackle these challenges in partnership with its suppliers – for example committing £5bn to long-term partnerships with British and Irish suppliers earlier this year – but the Bill would accelerate efforts by outlining clearer objectives to further ensure farmers are protected from both climate shocks and inflation.

Simon Roberts, Chief Executive at Sainsbury’s, said: “Recent weeks have shown just how much pressure our food system is under. We need a more resilient food system that attracts investment, backs British farmers and helps keep affordable, nutritious food on tables across the nation. Food and farming should be at the heart of government policy, helping to build a stronger and more resilient future. That’s why we’ve signed the Good Food Bill. Through working together to drive the change we need across government, industry and communities, we can make sure everyone has access to good food for years to come.”

Anna Taylor, Executive Director at The Food Foundation, said: “Decades without a coherent plan for food policy has left the UK food system dangerously exposed to external shocks far beyond our borders. What we need now is a Good Food Bill that sets out a long-term statutory framework for building public health and national and household resilience — one that holds successive governments to account and protects citizens, businesses and farmers alike. It is great to see Sainsbury’s supporting this call. We urge other businesses to do the same, and for government to take decisive action on food.”

The Bill’s focus on access to good food is also increasingly important as millions of children are set to face holiday hunger this summer when term-time support such as free school meals is no longer available. Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief are investing over £8m in Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programmes, to help plug this gap, but a more joined-up framework to tackle food insecurity, which the Bill proposes, is essential to ensuring vital support such as this is sustained long-term. 

Notes to editors: The Good Food Bill was launched in February with support from more than 100 organisations across business, health, food and farming, investment, academia and the charity sector.

About Sainsbury’s   

Offering delicious great quality food at competitive prices has been at the heart of what we do since John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury opened our first store in 1869. Today, inspiring and delighting our customers with tasty food remains our priority and our purpose is clear – we make good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone, every day. 

Our focus on great value food and convenient shopping, whether in-store or online is supported by our brands – Argos, Nectar, Tu Clothing, Habitat and Smart Charge. Sainsbury’s has more than 600 supermarkets and over 885 convenience stores. Argos is a leading digital retailer with over 80 per cent of its sales starting online and 20 million active customers. Digital and technology enables us to adapt as customers shop differently and our profitable, fast-growing online channels offer customers quick and convenient delivery and collection capability.