In the lead up to the general election, British food and drink supply chain organisations have released an open letter to the country’s political parties, expressing their frustration with a perceived “lack of coverage” of the issue of food supply chain security. The letter was penned by the NFU, British Retail Consortium, UK Hospitality and Food and Drink Federation – representing the majority of the UK’s farmers, supermarkets, hospitality, catering and food companies.
The letter states that the UK’s food system has shown itself in recent years to be “efficient and resilient, maintaining UK food supply through a series of major challenges, including Covid-19, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and new trading arrangements by leaving the European Union.” Currently, the food and drink supply chain is the UK’s largest industrial sector. It employs 7.7m people with a total estimated Gross Value Added (GVA) of over £240bn.
They warn, however, that past successes do not forestall future failures.
“Food security is national security”
The letter points out that these events have caused the UK’s food supply chains to come under “severe strain”. This strain has led to shortages, disruption, and increased prices “at all points of the chain from producer to consumer.”
“It would be foolhardy to assume that our food system will always withstand shocks,” they write. Continuing, the letter highlights the growing challenges of geo-political instability and the climate crisis. The problems faced in the past several years aren’t going away.
Around the world, the climate crisis is already affecting food security at global, regional, and local levels. Changes in temperature, humidity, and soil chemistry can all disrupt food production and reduce access to food. Not only this, but the changing climate can also affect food quality and nutritional content.
The United States’ EPA noted in a recent report that extreme weather events exacerbate food insecurity. These events, from droughts to extreme rain, are also becoming more common as thecrisis worsens. The report also notes: “spikes in food prices after extreme events are expected to be more frequent in the future.” Lastly, they add that “increasing temperatures can contribute to spoilage and contamination.”
“The basic responsibility of any government is to ensure its citizens are safe and properly fed. But while we have heard much about defence and energy security in recent weeks, we have heard very little about food security,” argues the letter. The authors argue that they perceive a lack of focus on food in the political narrative as the country’s political parties campaign ahead of the July election. This, they argue, “demonstrates a worrying blind-spot for those that would govern us.”
Six steps to food security for UK supply chains
The open letter sets out six key steps towards building a more resilient food supply chain for the UK. Its authors argue that, whichever party forms the next government, they must examine and take these priorities seriously. They stress it is vital that the government follow these steps to ensure British produce is available at all price points.
- A planning system that allows investment in modern buildings and infrastructure
- Work with the sector to deliver a plan to achieve our net zero ambitions
- A coherent industrial policy that includes a tax framework incentivising investment, fosters research and innovation in the UK, takes a joined-up approach to immigration, skills and employment policies that ensure the sector has access to the labour it needs
- An agricultural budget that enables the delivery of environmental objectives, delivers targets for climate and biodiversity
- An approach to trade that seeks to reduce non-tariff barriers with key trading partners
- A long-term partnership with industry to tackle obesity and health inequalities in communities across the UK
The letter has been signed by NFU President Tom Bradshaw, British Retail Consortium Chief Executive Helen Dickinson, Karen Betts, Chief Executive, Food and Drink Federation, and UK Hospitality Chief Executive Officer Kate Nicholls.
- Risk & Resilience
- Sustainability
