More than 150 experts have warned the British government that it lacks a plan to feed people during a crisis and remains unprepared for future food shortages, according to an open letter delivered to Andy Burnham.
The letter, reported by The Guardian, identifies climate change, geopolitical shocks, cyber-attacks and energy outages as threats to food chain security. The experts claim the government is "complacent about food as a national security matter".
The letter proposes five specific recommendations. First, establish new local food resilience committees under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. Second, audit the UK's reliance on a small number of large food companies and food imports. Third, realign national food production around nutritional needs. Fourth, create national, regional, local and community food storage schemes. Fifth, support decentralisation of the UK's food supply.
The warning reflects growing concern among food security specialists that Britain's centralised food system leaves the country vulnerable to supply disruption. No detail was provided in the source material about the government's response to these recommendations or the timeline the experts believe is necessary to implement them.