Many of us will have spent the last month buying, preparing, cooking, eating and talking about food. With New Year traditionally viewed as a time to shed indulgences after festive excesses, and retailers are posting their performance over the Christmas period, food security might be a long way from our thoughts right now.
But an independent report published last month gives valuable insights into the status of the UK’s food security – and how worried we should be.
Taking stock – every three years
The United Kingdom Food Security Report (UKFSR) examines factors from global availability, to domestic production and supply chain resilience.
Mandated by the Agriculture Act 2020, this independent, triennial report is designed to inform policy-makers and stakeholders about the current state and future outlook of the UK’s food security.
The report considers five key themes:
- Global food availability
- UK food supply sources
- Food supply chain resilience
- Food security at household level
- Food safety and consumer confidence
What do we really mean by “food security?”
The UKFSR uses the 1996 World Food Summit which defines food security as:
“When all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”
We can debate the merits (or otherwise) of this interpretation and talk about calorie security and poor nutrition in all its forms, (both under- and over-nourished diets), however several key – and uncomfortable – facts emerge from the analysis in the report.
Resilience amid volatility
The interconnectedness of global food systems is both an opportunity and a vulnerability.
The UK relies heavily on imports (around 40% of our food), particularly for fresh produce. While domestic fruit production has doubled since 2004 (now equating to 16% of demand), the UK remains far from self-sufficient.
This leaves us exposed to volatile factors like harvest fluctuations (the UK’s wheat harvest fell 22% in 2024 compared with 2023) and geopolitical disruptions.
As of December 2024, 17 countries have implemented 22 export bans, and 8 introduced export-limiting measures.
Yet the report highlights some welcome resilience. UK supply chains, while stressed, have adapted, and domestic production in areas like soft fruit continues to grow.
Moving forward, we can build greater resilience by exploring opportunities for enhanced domestic production. Such as through protected and controlled-environment farming (e.g. LettUs Grow and Innovation Agri-Tech Group), precision agriculture (such as the Omnia system developed by Hutchinsons), and innovations in crop diversity (including breeding work by NIAB and Elsoms).
For imports that can’t be grown in the UK (e.g. bananas), supply chain diversification and adopting innovative trade policies will help to buffer disruptions. And we may explore shifting consumer preferences towards more local, sustainable alternatives (e.g. Morrow coffee).
