Divine Chocolate MD Sophi Tranchell appointed to the London Food Board
20 June – Sophi Tranchell MBE, managing director of Divine Chocolate, the farmer-
owned Fairtrade chocolate company, is one of the food experts chosen to
join the London Food Board.
The Board has just announced a new line-up of food experts who will work to inform the development of programmes to improve Londoners’ access to healthy food, boost the economic vibrancy of the food sector and reduce the food system’s impact on the environment.
Tranchell says, “I am very pleased to have been selected as a member
of the London Food Board. London is the biggest Fairtrade City in the
world – and with 7.4 million Londoners we have the opportunity to really
make an enormous impact on the lives of the producers who we depend on to grow and supply our food.”
She has championed Fairtrade in the food industry for eleven years as MD of Divine Chocolate, and has chaired the London Fairtrade Steering group for the past three years. She is also a social enterprise ambassador promoting a different way of doing business. In 2009 she was made MBE for services to the food industry.
The board also includes Tim Smith, chief executive of the Food Standards Agency, Judith Batchelar, director of the Sainsbury’s brand and Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University, among others.
The newly formed London Food Board Executive group and a larger Food Board will advise on the development of a new food strategy implementation plan for the Greater London Authority due to be published later this year.
Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food Board, said: ‘I want to use the experts’
combined experience to build on the success of existing projects and
develop effective solutions to help take on the food challenges that London
faces.”
