As readers will recall from previous columns I was given permission from the Senedd to develop the Food (Wales )Bill.

The first piece of back bench members’ legislation in this Parliament.

It is relatively simple and requires the Government to put in place a Food Strategy to create a holistic framework for all food policy here in Wales to align to, something that is desperately missing.

It also requires public bodies, including councils and health boards, to create food plans that enable the procurement and use of more local food in our schools and hospitals.

This strategy and these food plans would be required to achieve the Primary Food Goal - the provision of affordable, healthy, and economically, and socially sustainable food for the people of Wales.

I’ve also proposed that there is a Food Commission to oversee, support and challenge how we advance the food system in Wales.

It would be made up of experts from all areas, including agriculture , health, education, and government to name a few.

This proposed law is so fundamentally important to address our food security and how we use food to address the societal issues, such as malnutrition, obesity and health related issues such as diabetes.

We need to do this for the sake of our future generations.

The Bill is supported by a huge number of organisations ranging from the farming unions, academia, health boards, councils, sustainable farming organisations and many, many more. I have just finished taking the bill before various scrutiny committees to give evidence regarding the bill and many of the above have also given evidence.

We look forward now to May when we have a Senedd debate to decide if my legislation falls or is allowed to progress.

My problem is that the Minister Lesley Griffiths continuously says she doesn’t support (albeit it many of her Labour colleagues do as do the other political groups).

I fear that, although this vital piece of legislation is needed as evidenced by so many, the minister and government’s intransigence will see the bill destined to fail; I fear that intransigence is probably linked to my political colour, but I hope I’m wrong.

Our food system, our food security, our future generations are just too important for politics to get in the way of.

I desperately hope that in the coming weeks I can persuade the Minister and the Government to work with me and so many others who advocate for the Food Bill to secure the health and well-being of our great country.