London: More than 150 experts have warned that the British government is not adequately prepared for potential food shortages, urging ministers to treat food security as a national security issue.
Academics, business leaders, community groups and food partnerships delivered an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, warning that the UK’s food supply system faces growing risks from climate change, geopolitical instability, cyber-attacks, energy outages and other disruptions. The letter described the government as ‘complacent about food as a national security matter.’
The experts criticized the UK’s reliance on a ‘just-in-time’ food distribution system, which keeps relatively small stocks throughout the supply chain. They warned that the model may not be resilient enough to withstand major or prolonged disruptions, particularly as the country has no national food storage system following the closure of its strategic food stockpile in the 1990s.
The letter calls for the creation of local food resilience committees under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, an audit of the UK’s dependence on major food companies and imports, and changes to national food production to better reflect nutritional needs.
The experts also want national, regional, local and community food storage schemes, along with measures to decentralize the UK’s food supply and reduce vulnerabilities across the food chain.
The government has also identified climate change and nature loss as risks to food systems and national security. A March 2026 parliamentary response noted that these pressures can increase risks to food security, water supplies and wider stability.
The experts are also concerned about household preparedness. Recent government advice has encouraged people to keep enough food and water to manage short-term emergencies, but the letter warns that lower-income households may struggle to build emergency supplies.
The signatories argue that strengthening food resilience requires action across farming, storage, distribution and local communities rather than relying mainly on households to prepare individually. Their warning comes as governments face increasing pressure to prepare for overlapping climate, geopolitical and infrastructure-related disruptions.
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