UK Food Supply Chain Resilience Under Threat from Global Conflicts and Climate Change

Strategic Insights -

The UK's food supply chain is facing unprecedented threats due to global conflicts, climate change, and rising input costs, according to a recent submission by the Provision Trade Federation (PTF) to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Food and Drink. The PTF, which represents sectors accounting for 20% of UK household food expenditure and 130,000 UK jobs, is warning the UK Government to take food supply more seriously, including addressing cyber-attacks, climate change impacts, rising input costs, weak supporting infrastructure, and labour and skills shortages.

Key Takeaways:

  • The PTF submission highlights the threat of cyber-attacks, climate change impacts, rising input costs, weak supporting infrastructure, and labour and skills shortages to the UK's food supply chain resilience.
  • The submission calls on the UK Government to prioritize UK food production in government policy and decision-making, and to develop a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the UK's food resilience in cooperation with the food industry.
  • The PTF urges the Government to take action to address the national power outage threat, over-reliance on critical raw materials, over-dependence on a few big retailers for household food supply, disruption to the Panama Canal, and the risk of another pandemic.
  • The Food and Drink APPG has welcomed the PTF submission and is working with industry and government to raise concerns and help shape practical, long-term solutions to strengthen the UK's food resilience.

Statistics:

  • The PTF represents sectors accounting for 20% of UK household food expenditure and 130,000 UK jobs.
  • The UK's food supply chain is exemplary in its ability to make enough food available to every citizen.
  • 2022-2024 saw greatly inflated raw material and transport and energy prices.
  • Climate change impacts are challenging many long-standing assumptions about the inherent resilience of the UK's food supply chain models.

Sources:

  • Ashley RILEY, The Provision Trade Federation (PTF)
  • Rod Addy, Director General of the Provision Trade Federation
  • Mike Reader MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Food and Drink
  • Amanda Hick MP, Vice Chair of the APPG on Food and Drink
  • Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, Secretary of the APPG on Food and Drink
  • https://imagestore.jpimedia.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmNiMmIyNTQ4LTVmMTgtNGNkZi1hNThjLTkxZmY4MzAwNTlkMzo3MWE0YzdjMy0zM2RkLTQ2ZmQtOGQwOC0zNTQzZTZiNTFmZmE=.jpg
  • CAPTION: Mike Reader MP with Rod Addy, Director General of the Provision Trade Federation