British shoppers responded to the government's "Be Ready" campaign by buying more bottled water, tinned food and hand sanitiser, but data suggests they were gradually stocking up rather than panic buying, according to retail research firm Worldpanel by Numerator.
Sales of hand sanitiser surged 83%, bottled water rose 67% and tinned and jarred goods climbed 37% in the 10 days after the campaign launch on 22 October, compared with the same period last year, Worldpanel data shows. The number of people buying tinned meat each day rose by 43%, equivalent to an extra 400,000 shoppers a day, though the typical amount bought remained at about 500g.
The government's public awareness campaign encouraged households to prepare for up to three days in the event of disruption to essential services from incidents such as cyber-attacks or extreme weather. It recommended keeping bottled water, long-life food, wet wipes, a torch and cash at home.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel by Numerator, said: “Shoppers clearly took notice of the Be Ready campaign, but this wasn’t panic buying, with less than a third of households buying bottled water in October.” He added that growth came from more people adding items from the government’s checklist to their weekly shop, not from shoppers piling their trolleys high.
Sales of tinned and jarred goods rose from £58.2m in the 10 days to 2 November 2025 to £79.5m over the same period in 2026. Bottled water sales jumped from £13.6m to £22.8m, and hand sanitiser sales climbed from £497,000 to £908,000.
The tinned tuna maker Princes on Tuesday reported a rise in demand for canned food such as fish, meat and vegetables since the campaign began. Princes interim chief executive Giuseppe Mastrolia said the jump in demand “further reinforces the relevance of our core categories in providing affordable, nutritious and convenient food solutions”.
Separate research from Barclays last week found 27% of people were stockpiling, or considering accumulating, food and drink. Younger adults are less prepared, 31% of 18-to-34-year-olds said they have enough food and drinking water to last at least three days, compared with 53% of those aged 55 plus.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said everyone should have “those supplies in the house to get you through those moments”. Disaster recovery expert Lucy Easthope previously told the BBC that the UK was playing “massive catch up” to other European nations in terms of preparedness, including France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
A number of experts have been calling for the UK to put more emphasis on food security, with some arguing that the government itself should take responsibility for food stockpiling rather than individual households. In October, more than 180 experts signed an open letter to Burnham and first secretary of state Louise Haigh calling for local authorities to have a duty to prevent and respond to food supply emergencies. They pointed out that a government survey found 29% of people in the UK could not afford to keep a few days' worth of food in the house.
The Worldpanel data also showed that grocery inflation in Great Britain picked up to 2.6% in the four weeks to 1 November, up from 2.5% the previous month, after slowing in the summer.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The data shows a measured public response to a government preparedness campaign, rather than panic buying, which reassures retailers and supply chains.
- The campaign highlights a shift in UK emergency planning, catching up with other European nations, and raises questions about affordability for the 29% of people who cannot afford to stockpile.
- The uptick in grocery inflation, combined with the energy price cap rise, puts household budgets under further pressure this winter.
Background
The "Be Ready" campaign, launched on 22 October by the UK government, advises households to prepare for up to three days of disruption to essential services caused by severe weather or cyber-attacks. It is part of a broader effort to improve national resilience, following criticism that the UK lags behind countries such as France, Germany and Sweden in emergency preparedness. The campaign recommends stocking bottled water, long-life food, wet wipes, a torch and cash.
Key Perspectives
Worldpanel by Numerator: Shoppers took notice of the campaign but did not panic buy; growth came from more people adding recommended items to their weekly shop.
Princes: The rise in demand for canned food further reinforces the relevance of its core categories in providing affordable, nutritious and convenient food solutions.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham: Everyone should have those supplies in the house to get you through those moments.
Disaster recovery expert Lucy Easthope: The UK was playing "massive catch up" to other European nations in terms of preparedness.
More than 180 experts (open letter signatories): Local authorities should have a duty to prevent and respond to food supply emergencies; a government survey found 29% of people in the UK could not afford to keep a few days' worth of food in the house.
What to Watch
- Whether the trend of higher sales continues or fades as households complete their stockpiles.
- Any government response to the experts' call for local authorities to take responsibility for food security.
- The impact of rising grocery inflation and energy costs on household spending through the Christmas period.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 12 supported.
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- SupportedShoppers stocked up after the Be Ready campaign but were not panic buying, according to the data.Business | The Guardian: “British shoppers have been stocking up on essentials such as bottled water, tinned goods and hand sanitiser, but did not panic buy after the government advised people to prepare for emergencies, shopping data has shown.”
- SupportedSales of hand sanitiser, bottled water and tinned goods rose in the 10 days after the government urged households to prepare for emergencies.Business | The Guardian: “Sales of essentials jumped in the 10 days after the government launched its Be Ready campaign, which encourages households to prepare for up to three days in the event of disruption to essential services”
- SupportedMcKevitt said: “Shoppers clearly took notice of the Be Ready campaign, but this wasn’t panic buying, with less than a third of households buying bottled water in October.”Business | The Guardian: ““Shoppers clearly took notice of the Be Ready campaign, but this wasn’t panic buying, with less than a third of households buying bottled water in October.””
- SupportedHand sanitiser sales rose 83% after the campaign launch.Business | The Guardian: “sales of hand sanitiser surged by 83% compared with the same period last year”
- SupportedBottled water sales rose 67% after the campaign launch.Business | The Guardian: “sales of bottled water rose 67%”
- SupportedSales of tinned and jarred goods rose 37% after the campaign launch.Business | The Guardian: “tinned and jarred goods went up 37%”
- SupportedThe number of people buying tinned meat each day rose by 43%.Business | The Guardian: “The number of people buying tinned meat each day after the launch of the campaign rose by 43%”
- SupportedThe daily increase in tinned meat buyers was equivalent to an extra 400,000 shoppers.Business | The Guardian: “equivalent to an extra 400,000 shoppers a day”
- SupportedThe typical amount of tinned meat bought remained at about 500g.Business | The Guardian: “but the typical amount bought remained at about 500g in terms of pack size.”
- SupportedThe campaign recommended keeping bottled water, long-life food, wet wipes, a torch and cash at home.BBC News: “Wet wipes, a torch and cash were also recommended.”
- SupportedSales of tinned and jarred goods rose from £58.2m in the 10 days to 2 November 2025 to £79.5m over the same period in 2026.BBC News: “Sales of tinned and jarred goods rose from £58.2m in the 10 days to 2 November 2025 to £79.5m over the same period in 2026.”
- SupportedPrinces interim chief executive Giuseppe Mastrolia said the demand jump “further reinforces the relevance of our core categories in providing affordable, nutritious and convenient food solutions”.BBC News: “Princes interim chief executive Giuseppe Mastrolia said the jump in demand "further reinforces the relevance of our core categories in providing affordable, nutritious and convenient food solutions".”