The Food Resilience Commission, a cross-sector forum led by Food and Drink Wholesale UK (FWD), is calling on the government to protect the UK’s food supply chain in response to “heightened economic instability”.
The Commission, which was launched in Parliament in January, is urging the government to take three steps, including immediate prioritisation of wholesalers and the wider food supply chain as part of the fuel allocation priority list.
It is calling for index-linked public sector food budgets to protect suppliers and caterers as they manage “significant inflationary pressures”. The Commission is also asking the government to build out a national food resilience framework, “with wholesale and logistics providers at its heart”, to bring together planning, investment and co-ordination.
In the long term, it is calling for strengthened domestic supply chains by incentivising primary producers to grow food domestically.
“The conflict in the Middle East has highlighted the challenges the UK faces when exposed to economic shocks,” said Food Resilience Commission chair Daniel Zeichner MP, formerly food security and rural affairs minister.
“This is starting to have an impact on our domestic food supply chain, which is a central part of our everyday life. To help the many businesses serving our nation, we are therefore calling on the government to consider our three urgent steps to provide immediate relief to those in the supply chain, who we rely upon to deliver our food system.”
FWD CEO James Bielby added: “At times of heightened economic instability, UK wholesalers continue to serve communities right across the country. However, there is no doubt that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is putting a strain on the UK’s food system.
“The work of the Food Resilience Commission comes at a vital time to respond to an ongoing conflict and future-proof our food supply chain.”
The Commission will be holding its first evidence gathering roundtable in Parliament next week, assessing how rising cyber threats across the food supply chain are disrupting operations and could pose a growing risk to UK food security.
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