Future food icons: Part one

From the chief executives of trade bodies who help shape policies to the famous faces sharing recipes on our televisions and phone screens, the food and drink industry is chock full of influential voices. Here, we shine a light on the people who are set to shape the future of the sector.

Henry Dimbleby: FOOD CAMPAIGNER AND CO-FOUNDER OF LEON
Having shot to fame in the foodie world as the co-founder of the restaurant chain Leon, Henry Dimbleby has become better known in recent years for his work on food policy. After co-authoring The School Food Plan, which outlined how to transform what children eat in schools and how they learn about food, he became the lead non-executive board member of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in 2018.

In 2020 and 2021, he published the two parts of the landmark National Food Strategy, which was hailed as the most ambitious review of the UK food system for 70 years. But this year he quit his role in Defra over frustration at a lack of strategy from the government. He accused the government of “ignoring” the ticking time bomb of health issues stemming from food and of giving up on their pledges on public health and going backwards on the issue of obesity. Despite leaving his advisory role, he is not giving up on the cause.

His new book, Ravenous: How To Get Ourselves and Our Planet Into Shape, written with his wife, columnist Jemima Lewis, tackles the current health and climate crises in a way he hopes will be more accessible to the average Brit than a government whitepaper. With his big ideas about the UK’s food and farming systems, there is no doubt he’ll continue to be a significant figure in the sector in the coming years.

Renée Elliott: FOUNDER OF PLANET ORGANIC
This year, Renée Elliott is stepping back into the food and drink industry with a bang. In 1995, she founded Planet Organic, the UK’s first organic supermarket, and caused a huge shift in the way Brits think about food. But she decided to step away in 2009.

This year, Planet Organic was facing collapse having come under pressure from high inflation and overheads. When she was called in March and told the business would be going into administration, she had no intention of returning to the helm of the business. “Brian, my husband, and I decided to look for a buyer, help raise money and put a small team together,” she tells Speciality Food. “Over four very intense weeks of the situation changing and moving continuously, we decided we are the safest hands for Planet Organic, so we put a bid together to buy the business from the administrator,” she says.

Now, she’s set to return to her mission of promoting healthy food and drink, challenging conventional retailing and showing that values-led business is good business. With 30 years of experience in business and personal development, Renée also mentors start-ups and small businesses on purpose, resilience and strategy through her second business Beluga Bean. “I’m most looking forward to re-building a beautiful business that people love to work for, that promotes the health of people in our communities and supports the earth’s biodiversity,” she says. “And to do all that while having fun.”

Jason Gibb: ENTREPRENEUR AND CO-FOUNDER OF BREAD & JAM
The indie food industry is at its best when brands are sharing their knowledge and working together to achieve great things. This collaborative attitude is the driving force behind Bread & Jam, the UK’s biggest food and drink founders’ festival. Jason Gibb launched Bread & Jam with co-founder Tara Mei in 2016 to support the growth of innovative food and drink brands.

After working as a TV producer, a book author and a qualified biochemist, Jason dove into the food and drink sector when he bought an abandoned olive grove in Le Marche, Italy, and created the olive oil brand Nudo. After 10 years working to make the business a success, he decided to change gear to co-found Bread & Jam, an annual conference that aims to be a one-stop shop for emerging and scaling brands.

Each year, 16,000 food and drink brands emerge into the market in the UK, but 90 percent of them don’t make it past their first year of trading, according to Bread & Jam. It’s a shocking statistic, but perhaps not surprising to food and drink industry players. By bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, retailers and other industry leaders, the event has become a place to learn and grow – and a mainstay in the independent food and drink sector’s calendar. With innovative brands cutting their teeth at Bread & Jam, it’s the place to look for the entrepreneurs of the future.