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UK 'complacent' about food security, more than 150 experts warn government

Open letter says 'just-in-time' food system is not fit for today's challenges and calls for national storage schemes

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
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More than 150 academics, business leaders, community groups and food partnerships have warned the British government that it is "complacent about food as a national security matter", saying the country has no plan to feed people in a crisis and is unprepared for potential food shortages. In an open letter delivered to Andy Burnham, the signatories urge ministers to make the UK's food system more resilient to threats including climate shocks, cyber-attacks, energy outages and geopolitical instability.

The letter says the UK is unprepared for potential future food shortages and that the "just-in-time" delivery system built up over recent decades "is not fit for today's or tomorrow's challenges". It notes that little stock is held along the food supply chain and that the UK has no national food storage, after the strategic stockpile in place since the second world war was wound up in the 1990s.

"The food system is exposed to shocks and threats from geopolitics, climate heating, ransomware, energy outages, software malfunction and disinformation," the experts write. "These shocks will fall upon a system that is highly wasteful, import-dependent, environmentally unsustainable, and driven by the pursuit of private profit rather than resilience, with millions of people unable to afford a decent, healthy diet."

The letter urges ministers to:

  • Establish local food resilience committees under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
  • Audit the UK's reliance on a few very large food companies and on food imports.
  • Create national, regional, local and community food storage schemes.
  • Support the decentralisation of the UK's food supply.

The warning comes weeks after the National Audit Office accused ministers of failing to do enough to help households and businesses plan for food supply emergencies. Government research has found Britons are less prepared for catastrophic events than citizens of several other European countries, while the UK is more reliant on food imports than some of its neighbours.

Environment secretary Angela Eagle recently advised households to build up stores of enough food and water to survive a few days without power or water, amid warnings that the El Niño weather phenomenon could bring a wet, stormy winter. The letter argues the government has not paid enough attention to what such a store should look like, and is failing to consider that many lower-income households may not be able to afford to build up a stockpile.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The UK has no national food storage and holds little stock along a supply chain heavily dependent on imports, leaving the country exposed if shocks such as climate-driven weather, cyber-attacks, energy outages or geopolitical conflict disrupt supplies.
  • The warning follows a rebuke from the National Audit Office, which accused ministers of failing to help households and businesses plan for food supply emergencies, making food resilience an active political issue.
  • Any new preparedness drive will need to confront the question of affordability, since the experts warn lower-income households may not be able to build up a stockpile of food and water.

Background

The UK wound up its strategic food stockpile, in place since the second world war, in the 1990s. The country now relies on a "just-in-time" delivery system that holds little stock along the chain, and government research has found Britons are less prepared for catastrophic events than citizens of several other European countries. The UK is also more reliant on food imports than some of its neighbours, according to the same research.

Key Perspectives

The experts: The signatories, including academics, business leaders, community groups and food partnerships, argue the food system is exposed to threats including geopolitics, climate heating, ransomware, energy outages, software malfunction and disinformation, and that the pursuit of private profit has come at the expense of resilience. The government's approach: Environment secretary Angela Eagle has advised households to store enough food and water to survive a few days without power or water, suggesting ministers view individual preparedness as an important part of the response to potential shocks. Critics of the government's approach: The letter claims the government has not specified what such a stockpile should look like and is failing to consider that many lower-income households may not be able to afford to build one up. The National Audit Office has separately accused ministers of failing to do enough to prepare for shocks to food supplies.

What to Watch

  • Whether the government responds to the letter by establishing local food resilience committees under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
  • Whether ministers accept the National Audit Office's criticisms and publish a plan for food supply resilience.
  • Any move to audit the UK's reliance on a small number of large food companies and on food imports, or to revive some form of national food storage.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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