Govt urged to engage more with private sector on food chain resilience
The risks the UK's food supply chain faces are becoming more frequent and severe, a new report from the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned.
According to the report, the risks include "acute risks", such as extreme weather, cyber attacks, energy disruptions, or disease outbreaks.
Additionally, longer-term "chronic risks" such as climate change can erode food supply chain resilience over time.
The NAO report highlighted that the British government has identified food as one of 13 critical national infrastructure sectors considered essential to the UK's ability to function.
Disruption to food supply can lead to food price inflation; less consumer choice due to price; and vulnerable people (such as low-income households) struggling to access food, which will worsen food poverty.
According to the report, the government has previously relied on the private sector to keep the food supply chain functioning during times of crisis.
The report said: "During recent disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, private sector businesses have succeeded in keeping the food supply chain running, in most cases without the need for significant government assistance.
"But short- and long-term risks that could significantly affect the food supply chain are becoming more likely and potentially more severe."
According to the report, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is now "less confident" about the private sector's ability to maintain this resilience without assistance from the government.
NAO recommendations
The NAO's report recognised that Defra has taken positive steps, including expanding its food supply chain resilience team and increasing its focus on planning for catastrophic events.
Despite these steps, the NAO found there is still more to do, with its report highlighting a lack of engagement with businesses, households and communities around preparing for potential future food shortages.
The office advised Defra to analyse international approaches and strengthen its emergency preparedness by testing plans alongside local government and industry.
According to the NAO, Defra should review whether its existing response plans would be effective during a major disruption to the food supply chain.
The report said: "Defra's actions in recent years have not been sufficient to ensure the supply chain is resilient to such events.
"Defra has recognised that risks of significant disruption are rising, and it has increased its capacity to support strategic work to build resilience within the food supply chain, communities and households.
"This work remains at an early stage, and it is timely for Defra to assess whether its current approach and preparedness remain in line with the increasing level of risk."
The NAO has urged Defra to make better use of existing frameworks, such as the government's 'CNI Knowledge Base' tool to identify critical food supply chain infrastructure and learn from approaches taken in other countries.
The NAO accepts that some actions to reduce risk and increase resilience may have cost implications for the government, businesses and households.
However, it says that Defra will need to be clear on the level of risk it can accept to make informed decisions about its priorities and whether these costs and their potential to increase resilience represent value for money.
