Britain's Fresh Produce Supply Under Growing Threat as Fresh Direct Sounds Alarm and FPC Warns of £300m EU Reset Risk
Britain's fresh produce industry is confronting an increasingly complex combination of climate disruption, soaring costs, labour shortages and geopolitical uncertainty, with new research exposing growing vulnerabilities across domestic and international supply chains. The findings add weight to warnings from the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) that proposed changes under the UK–EU reset could place further unnecessary pressure on the global supplies essential to feeding the nation.
A new report from leading foodservice supplier Fresh Direct, developed in partnership with environmental research specialist Footprint Intelligence, highlights the mounting challenges facing growers, suppliers and foodservice operators as they struggle to maintain reliable supplies of affordable, nutritious fruit and vegetables.
As reported by Fresh Produce Journal (FPJ), the study, Sourcing for the Future, identifies extreme weather, geopolitical disruption, water scarcity, labour shortages and rising production costs as significant threats to the long-term resilience of fresh produce supply chains.
The warning comes at a critical moment for British food security, with the Government preparing for the UK–EU summit in Brussels on 20 November and the fresh produce industry calling for assurances that closer European trading arrangements will not undermine imports from the rest of the world.
British Production Under Increasing Pressure
According to figures highlighted in the Fresh Direct report, domestic production accounts for just 17 per cent of the fruit and 55 per cent of the vegetables consumed in the UK.
The research also identifies a decline of approximately 600,000 tonnes in national horticultural output since 2015, illustrating the difficulties facing British producers despite growing recognition of the importance of domestic food production.
The report follows a challenging summer for Fresh Direct, during which extreme temperatures and adverse growing conditions disrupted supplies of cucumbers, red cabbage, tomatoes and brassicas.
Across both UK and international growing regions, producers are confronting increasingly unpredictable weather, pressure on water resources and escalating input costs, making it more difficult to plan production and maintain consistent availability.
Andy Pembroke, Managing Director of Fresh Direct, acknowledged the growing complexity of these challenges while emphasising the importance of industry-wide cooperation.
Speaking in comments reported by FPJ, he said: "Growers, breeders, suppliers and customers all have a role to play in building a more resilient food system."
Pembroke also highlighted the importance of long-term partnerships, innovation and sustainable production practices in securing future supplies for the fresh produce and foodservice sectors.
FPC Warns Against Making a Difficult Situation Worse
The Fresh Direct findings underline the importance of maintaining diverse and resilient sourcing arrangements, a principle at the centre of FPC's campaign to protect Britain's established global fresh produce supply chains.
FPC Chief Executive Nigel Jenney has repeatedly warned that proposals for closer sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) alignment with the EU must not impose disproportionate regulatory burdens on fresh produce imported from outside Europe.
FPC estimates that approximately four million tonnes of Rest of World fresh produce imports could be affected by the proposed arrangements, potentially exposing the industry to more than £300 million in additional annual costs.
These are FPC's estimates of the potential consequences of the proposed regulatory changes, rather than costs already imposed.
Speaking in an earlier Fresh Talk Daily report, Jenney was unequivocal about the strategic importance of maintaining access to global suppliers:
"The rest of the world supply chain is not optional!"
His concerns centre on the possibility that additional certification, inspections, official fees and border delays could make international sourcing more expensive and less attractive, reducing competition and ultimately increasing costs for British consumers.
With much of the produce imported into Britain highly perishable, FPC also warns that unnecessary border delays could shorten shelf life, increase waste and threaten the reliability of supply.
The implications extend beyond individual businesses. Global sourcing provides essential seasonal continuity when UK and European production cannot meet demand, while many imported products cannot be grown commercially in Britain at the scale required.
£300 Million Question for the Government
FPC supports closer cooperation and a more efficient trading relationship with the EU, but argues that a successful agreement must protect the interests of British fresh produce consumers and businesses.
The consortium is calling for a long-term exemption from dynamic regulatory alignment for Rest of World fresh produce destined exclusively for consumption in the UK.
Under its proposed approach, produce entering the UK market would continue to be subject to Britain's existing science-based and risk-based import regime, while any produce subsequently exported to the EU would comply fully with applicable European requirements.
FPC points to a 99.5 per cent border compliance rate under the existing UK system as evidence that its proposed approach can maintain strong biosecurity protections without introducing what it considers unnecessary costs.
Jenney has made clear that the organisation's support for closer European ties is conditional on protecting the UK's wider food supply interests.
"We support a sensible reset, but not at any cost."
FPC argues that retaining access to established global suppliers is fundamental to food security, particularly as climate instability and growing pressures on domestic horticulture make supply diversification increasingly important.
The organisation's concerns raise a significant policy question: whether a deal intended to simplify trade with Europe could inadvertently create additional barriers for other countries supplying the British market.
Innovation Offers Solutions, But Resilience Requires Investment
Despite the challenges highlighted in its research, Fresh Direct identifies encouraging progress in agricultural innovation and sustainable production.
The report examines nine important fresh produce categories: bananas, potatoes, beans, lettuce and other leafy crops, avocados, tomatoes, citrus fruit, brassicas and mushrooms.
It identifies advances in bean varieties better suited to British growing conditions, progress in developing peat-free mushroom substrates and regenerative citrus production programmes.
Precision irrigation, protected growing systems and regenerative farming practices are also helping producers adapt to volatile environmental conditions.
Meanwhile, advances in crop breeding and genetic research are contributing to efforts to strengthen the resilience of salad crops, avocados and citrus supply chains.
However, the research makes clear that innovation alone cannot resolve the industry's difficulties.
It identifies six priorities for safeguarding future supply: working with nature, accelerating varietal development, supporting growers through longer-term sourcing commitments, driving policy reform, improving understanding of supply vulnerabilities and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.
Greater certainty for growers, stronger commercial partnerships and investment in agricultural infrastructure will all be essential if the industry is to meet future demand.
A Critical Moment for Britain's Food Security
Although Fresh Direct's research and FPC's concerns about the UK–EU reset address different aspects of the industry's challenges, they highlight a common issue: the importance of protecting the resilience of Britain's fresh produce supply chains.
The Fresh Direct study focuses on environmental, economic and operational pressures, while FPC is concerned about the potential additional costs and complications arising from future trade arrangements.
Taken together, the warnings demonstrate why food security cannot be addressed solely through increased domestic production or closer trading relationships with any single region.
British growers need the investment, infrastructure and commercial confidence to expand and adapt, while importers must retain access to diverse international supply sources capable of meeting demand throughout the year.
With extreme weather already challenging production across major growing regions, the industry faces a difficult balancing act between affordability, sustainability, biosecurity and reliable year-round availability.
For FPC, the forthcoming negotiations present an opportunity to ensure those objectives are not undermined by avoidable regulatory costs.
As ministers prepare for the 20 November summit, the central challenge is how to strengthen Britain's fresh produce supply without inadvertently increasing its exposure to disruption.
The message emerging from both the Fresh Direct research and FPC's warnings is clear: protecting Britain's food security requires stronger domestic production, dependable global trade and policies that make its supply chains more resilient, not more vulnerable.
Sources and further reading:
Fresh Produce Journal – Fresh Direct flags increasingly complex supply chain challenges, 9 November 2026.
Fresh Direct and Footprint Intelligence – Sourcing for the Future, November 2026.
Fresh Talk Daily – Burnham Must Protect Britain's Fresh Produce Supply From £300 Million Reset Bill, 19 October 2026.
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