Experts Warn UK Should Consider Food Stockpiles As Climate And Supply Risks Grow

Calls for the UK to strengthen its food resilience are growing after a leading food policy expert warned that the country is poorly prepared for major disruptions caused by climate shocks, geopolitical conflict or cyberattacks.

Professor Tim Lang, Professor Emeritus of Food Policy at City St George’s, University of London, said the government should consider building strategic food reserves and strengthening domestic production to safeguard national food security. Speaking at the National Farmers’ Union conference in Birmingham, Lang argued that Britain’s current system is heavily exposed to external shocks.

According to the UK’s Food Security Report, the country is around 54% self-sufficient in food, meaning nearly half of what Britons consume relies on imports. That dependence leaves the UK particularly exposed to disruption in global supply chains.

Lang warned that the UK’s highly centralised distribution system adds further vulnerability. Around 12,000 supermarkets are supplied through just 131 distribution centres, while nine major retailers account for more than 94% of retail food sales, meaning disruption to a small number of sites could have significant consequences for national food supply.

Retail System Built On Efficiency

The warnings highlight the extent to which the UK grocery sector relies on highly efficient, “just-in-time” logistics systems designed to minimise storage and reduce costs.

While this model has allowed retailers to maintain lean supply chains and competitive pricing, Lang argues that it also creates potential choke points if distribution centres, transport infrastructure or digital systems were disrupted by climate events, cyberattacks or geopolitical conflict.

Professor Tim Lang. Image: City St George’s, University of London

For retailers, even a relatively small interruption in supply could quickly lead to empty shelves because supermarkets typically hold only limited back-up stock within their distribution networks.

Implications For Fresh Produce

The issue is particularly relevant for the fresh produce sector, where the UK is heavily dependent on imports.

More than 80% of fruit and over half of vegetables consumed in the UK are imported, much of it from climate-sensitive regions such as southern Europe and North Africa. Extreme weather events in those regions have already disrupted supply in recent years, including the widely reported salad shortages in UK supermarkets during 2023.

Looking ahead, projections suggest climate pressures could further tighten supply. The UK Health Security Agency has warned that if current trends continue, by 2050 around 52% of legumes and 47% of fruit consumed in the UK could come from climate-vulnerable countries, increasing the risk of supply disruptions.

Calls For A National Food Resilience Strategy

Lang has called for the government to introduce a Food Security and Resilience Act to ensure better preparedness for shocks and strengthen domestic supply chains.

Such measures could include boosting UK agricultural output, decentralising distribution networks and developing strategic food reserves similar to those maintained by countries such as Switzerland, which holds emergency stockpiles to sustain its population during crises.

For the fresh produce industry, the debate is likely to reinforce growing calls for greater investment in UK horticulture, protected cropping and supply chain resilience, particularly as climate volatility and geopolitical tensions continue to reshape global food production and trade.

As Lang told delegates at the NFU conference, the key challenge for policymakers is moving from a system built purely for efficiency to one capable of withstanding shocks: a shift from “just in time” supply chains to a more resilient “just in case” approach to feeding the nation.

Source: The Guardian