James Truscott joined Branston in 2013 and took over as MD in May 2015. He is an active member of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP Food Board and has extensive experience in the food industry, both in the US and UK.

The LEP Food Board has been instrumental in shaping and championing our food and drink sector which carries national significance and produces and eighth of England’s food. This has led to the creation of the UK Food Valley which will position our leading food sector as a Top 10 Global Food Cluster. Read his blog in full below:

I’m a passionate advocate for the British food industry. It’s a sector that often sits below the radar but is rich in opportunities. Today’s economic climate, whilst certainly challenging, is full of potential, especially if you look to embrace sustainability, rather than ignoring or fearing it. 

Branston has always had a focus on sustainability – and on making sure that as we grow, we take a long-term approach to utilising all our resources as efficiently as possible and investing in looking after the environment for future generations.  

We’re scrutinising all areas of our supply chain to minimise the impacts and reduce carbon emissions and we’ve made a challenging commitment to our business being net zero by 2030. We’re also working with our growers to help them reduce their carbon footprint. 

In partnership with our sister company B-hive Innovations we have developed ground-breaking technologies that will help growers transition to precision agriculture, making farming more efficient while reducing the impacts on the climate. 

We have honed our levels of crop utilisation over the years – making sure that as many potatoes as possible find the best available home.  

And now we are building a factory – the first of its kind in the world – that will extract high grade functional protein from outgrade potatoes. This product, which mimics the binding properties of egg, has the potential to be a key unlocker for many companies as they look to develop the plant-based food products of the future. 

The environmental challenges ahead are bigger than any one business can face alone. The UK Food Valley however, is well set to be at the cutting edge as we look more to low carbon sustainable food production. It has the scale, natural resources, and the mindset to be at the front of the queue as we look to roll out the new infrastructure that will be needed for a more sustainable future. 

James Truscott 

MD, Branston