The sponsors

This years category sponsors are:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The overarching challenge for Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is to secure a healthy environment in which we and future generations can prosper.

As we build a low carbon, resource efficient economy, Defra helps people to adapt to changes, deals with environmental risks and makes the most of the opportunity we now have to secure a sustainable society and a healthy environment. This will help see us through the difficult economic times, volatile food and energy prices and a changing climate which all make us more aware that we can’t take our environment for granted.

We deal with all aspects of water policy in England, including water supply and resources, and the regulatory systems for the water environment and the water industry. These include drinking water quality; the quality of water in rivers, lakes and estuaries, coastal and marine waters; sewage treatment; and reservoir safety.

The voice of the UK food and drink industry

The Food and Drink Federation is the voice of the UK food and drink industry, the largest manufacturing sector in the country. FDF's membership comprises manufacturers of all sizes as well as trade associations and groups dealing with specific sectors of the industry.

• We help our members operate in an appropriately regulated marketplace to maximise their competitiveness.
• We communicate our industry's values and concerns to Government, regulators, consumers and the media.
• We also work in partnership with key players in the food chain to ensure our food is safe and that consumers can have trust in it.

Protecting consumers, promoting value and safeguarding the future

Ofwat makes sure that customers get a fair deal and value from their water company. It does this by limiting the prices the companies can charge and making sure that customers' bills are kept as low as possible.

Ofwat scrutinises each company's investment and its services to consumers. If a company falls short of what Ofwat or their customers expect, it holds them publicly accountable and takes action to protect consumers' interests.

Ofwat is independent of government and the water companies, but is accountable to Parliament and the Welsh Assembly Government. Each year, Ofwat publishes an annual report which is laid before Parliament. Ofwat works closely with the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. These are the water quality regulators.