A coalition of more than 100 organisations is urging the UK government to introduce a landmark Good Food Bill to fix what they describe as a failing food system that threatens national security, public health, and the viability of food businesses.  Image: The Food Foundation Retailers, manufacturers, investors, health bodies, NGOs, academics, and farming organisations are uniting behind the call, signalling an unusual level of alignment across the food chain on the need for l

British businesses are set to regain direct rail freight links with Europe thanks to a government-backed deal that paves the way for goods such as fresh produce to be transported from the continent to the UK through the Channel Tunnel, offering a faster, more sustainable and reliable connection.  Image: Department of Transport The new, long-term deal will see Network Rail take control of the Barking Eurohub terminal in east London, with plans for a £15 million investment inje

Tesco UK Chief Executive Ashwin Prasad has set out a vision for building a more resilient UK farming sector based on deep, long‑term partnerships, better data, and practical on‑farm innovation, arguing that collaboration across the food chain is now essential to secure the country’s food future.  Image: Tesco plc | Ashwin Prasad Speaking at this week’s 2026 NFU Conference, Prasad positioned British farmers as central to Tesco’s growth strategy and to the UK’s ambitions on net

Defra has today unveiled a major £345 million package to back English farmers, combining a reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) with significant funding for innovation and productivity at the National Farmers Union conference in Birmingham. Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds told delegates the government is responding to calls from farming leaders for partnership and greater clarity on subsidies and support. The announcement builds on earlier commitments to simplify

The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) has raised a clear warning for the UK fresh fruit market: strawberry availability could be tighter than usual over the coming weeks, thanks to persistent wet weather in two of Britain’s main winter sourcing regions, Spain and Morocco. Heavy rain, flooding and storms across Mediterranean growing areas — regions that normally supply a significant share of the UK’s imported soft fruit — have disrupted harvests and slowed movements to British wh

Slug damage is quietly costing UK arable farmers an eye-watering £43.5 million every year — and this year, researchers believe they’re closer than ever to turning the tide. A UK team led by the UK Agri-Tech Centre in collaboration with Rothamsted Research has identified a bright idea — literally — using multispectral imaging to spot the notorious grey field slug out on the soil. That’s big news for crops that are especially vulnerable at establishment when slug pressure is hi

Britain’s food supply is flirting with instability in a way that would make any supply chain manager’s heart skip a beat, according to a new expert analysis. More than 30 leading food system specialists warn that chronic pressures coupled with a series of “shock events” could be enough to tip the UK into widespread food insecurity — and, in the worst-case scenario, civil unrest. The stark assessment — published this week in the journal Sustainability — describes the UK’s foo

Britain’s jobs market is showing increasing signs of strain, with unemployment expected to climb above its pandemic-era peak in the coming months, according to leading economic forecasts. That sobering outlook comes amid fresh official figures showing joblessness near its highest point in half a decade. Recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the UK unemployment rate rose to 5.2 per cent in the three months to December 2025, its strongest uptick in ye

The food and drink industry is being reshaped at pace, with fresh consumer habits and ongoing supply-chain turbulence top of mind for leaders across the sector. Image: Food Manufacture At the recent Business Leaders’ Forum held earlier this month, Lumina Intelligence’s insights manager Liv Warren set out three key pressures driving change : health trends, supply-chain risks, and shifting ideas of value. Consumer Behaviour On the health front, Warren highlighted a major swing

This Valentine’s season saw millions of romantic gestures across the UK, and Marks & Spencer’s floral range was at the heart of them. In fact, M&S reported selling more than 1 million Valentine’s bouquets in stores and online — its most successful floral performance to date. It’s a lovely headline, but the real story is what’s behind the blooms : a nearly two-decade partnership with a supplier that’s become integral to M&S’s floral transformation. A Partnership Rooted in Pass

Across the UK, far from the leafy aisles of well-stocked supermarkets, there are communities where access to nutritious food is scarce — and for the poorest households that scarcity isn’t an abstract concept, it’s a day-to-day reality. That’s the stark picture emerging from The Grocer’s analysis of “food deserts” and how the sector and policymakers might solve the problem. What Is A Food Desert — And Who’s Affected? In the simplest terms, a food desert is a place where peopl

As the UK continues through the colder months, vast swathes of fresh produce in supermarket aisles — from spring onions to green beans and sweetcorn — trace their origins to an unexpected corner of the globe: two commercial farms in northern Senegal. Image: Barfoots Over recent seasons, these West African operations have quietly become major contributors to the British winter supply chain, shipping millions of vegetable units across continents each week to meet year-round con

British horticulture is facing an existential "hard cliff edge" as the sector warns of a massive spike in energy standing charges set to take effect on April 1st. Industry leaders from the British Tomato Growers’ Association (BTGA) and the Cucumber and Pepper Growers’ Association (CPGA) have issued an urgent plea for government intervention, stating that without immediate action, the UK risks a permanent decline in domestic food production and a fresh surge in food inflation

The era of the once-a-week “big shop” is steadily giving way to a different retail rhythm. Across the UK, shoppers are increasingly splitting their grocery spend into smaller, more frequent trips — a pattern that is reshaping basket behaviour and quietly redefining how fresh produce is purchased. While inflationary pressures have begun to ease, consumer caution remains firmly in place. Recent grocery market data shows that although price growth has slowed and households are

In a major vote of confidence in UK agriculture, Morrisons has today confirmed a £1.6 billion investment to strengthen long-term relationships with British farmers and food producers in 2026. The fresh funding is geared towards multi-year partnerships with more than 2,500 growers and producers supplying the supermarket with fresh produce, meat, fish, dairy and eggs — underlining Morrisons’ ongoing commitment to domestic supply. Rami Baitiéh, CEO at Morrisons, said: “Now, more

The rate of food price inflation in the United Kingdom continued its downward trajectory in January 2026, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Figures released this week show headline inflation — the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) — fell to 3.0 per cent in the year to January, down from 3.4 per cent in December 2025, marking the lowest annual rate since March 2025. Lower prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages played an important part

The UK potato sector has renewed its warnings over the mounting impact of chemical withdrawals on both field production and storage resilience, with growers now confronting the removal of key crop protection tools amid a backdrop of declining planted acreage and tighter supply chain margins. At the British Potato Event in Harrogate, growers and industry stakeholders underscored how the withdrawal of crucial plant protection products is intensifying operational challenges for

Westfalia Fruit is doubling down on sustainability and efficiency with a bold expansion of its “Whole Tree” approach to avocado production and processing, reinforcing its position as a circular-agriculture leader. Image: Westfalia Fruit Amid ongoing supply chain pressures — from climate volatility to logistical disruption and rising costs — the global avocado specialist has outlined how it is extracting more value from every part of the avocado tree and fruit grade. The stra

In a move that’s turning heads across European freight corridors, Rotterdam-based multimodal operator Samskip has agreed to sell its UK and Ireland trade business — including both door-to-door and quay-to-quay cargo operations — to fellow short-sea and multimodal player CLdN. The deal was confirmed on 17 February 2026, and it marks a significant reshaping of short-sea services connecting the Continent with the British Isles. Image: Samskip For customers used to Samskip’s sch

Fresh, crisp and homegrown has just gained a serious scientific boost. New peer-reviewed research led by Cranfield University has reinforced the environmental credentials of British apples, finding they deliver a negligible “blue water scarcity footprint” thanks to the UK’s predominantly rain-fed production. In plain English: British orchards largely rely on rainfall rather than heavy irrigation, meaning domestic apples place far less pressure on water-stressed regions than s