People are going hungry. The least the government can do is abandon its flirtation with chlorinated chicken

All food in Britain should pass the same standards. Lowering them may help grease the wheels to get a US trade deal, but it is too high a price to pay

The coronavirus crisis has exposed the fragility of our food supply system. We’ve seen shelves empty in supermarkets, our society’s most vulnerable unable to get the food deliveries they need and thousands being left hungry.

Recent reports have shown that 1.5 million people have gone a whole day without eating since the start of the lockdown. The government’s new Agriculture Bill presents a golden opportunity to right these wrongs, and create a food supply system which is fair for shoppers and fair for the farmers. But sadly, it's an opportunity that is not being seized.

If we only learn one thing from Covid-19, it must be this: we can’t go back to business as usual. The old way of working wasn't a good fit for everyone and far too many people were being left out of the successes enjoyed by some. It’s clear that the previous system should not limit our aspirations for what life should look like after the lockdown eases.

Food is a political issue. It always has been, but the virus has forced it up the political agenda. The prospect of food not being available is now something many more people in our country can relate to – and that must surely demand a different approach. Playing the same tune, keeping things the same won’t cut it.

Farming is essential to our way of life. And supporting British farmers is now not just about food production, it is a matter of public health.

That is why we need a new political consensus to stand by our farmers and stand alongside our rural communities. For the Agriculture Bill, it means two changes. Firstly, a new national coronavirus food strategy within six months, mandated in law. With more people struggling to make ends meet on Universal Credit, and an extension of furlough until October, there needs to be a new political urgency around ensuring everyone can afford to eat. The government must step up to make this a reality.

Secondly, we must stop Britain’s high food standards being undercut in future trade deals. Because it isn’t just the virus farmers have to contend with. If we don’t act, they face the threat of being undercut by lower-standard food produced in other countries. All food sold in Britain should pass the same standards whether grown in Norfolk or Devon, or Arizona or Thailand. Lowering these may help grease the wheels to get a US trade deal, but it is too high a price to pay.

We need a comprehensive look at how we grow, pick and fish, and how we distribute and price. This must include working to the highest environmental standards and protecting animal welfare and improving pay for people who tend our fields and produce our food. Ultimately though, as we emerge from this crisis, we have to ensure that empty shelves and empty stomachs are a thing of the past.

Luke Pollard is the shadow environment secretary and Labour and Co-operative MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport