A GROUP of North-East women have taken public concerns about Britain's food production to Government ministers.

Sylvia Owen, from Darlington, and Patience Purdy, from Tynemouth, are chairwomen of the Science and Technology Committee of the National Council of Women (NCW), and Joan Wall, of Hartlepool, is a vice-chairwoman.

They have produced Deserving of Answers, a report that contains questions about food submitted through the NCW's website at www.ncw gb.org, as well as those from NWC's affiliated groups and from other national organisations.

More than 200 questions were sent in and the result is a report that deals with issues including the labelling of food and the need to support the farming industry.

Mrs Owen said: "The main idea was to take a different approach to obtaining consumers' views and getting them to Government."

The report will be launched on Friday at the Baltic arts centre, in Gateshead, by Dr Monica Winstanley, from the Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Research Council, to mark the start of the NCW's annual conference in Gateshead.

Also present will be NCW national president Hillary Sillars, from Great Ayton, near Middlesbrough, chairwoman of the Northern region Gillian Poole, from Darlington, civic dignitaries and Margaret Fay, the new chairwoman of One NorthEast.

Copies of the booklet will be made available to national policymakers.