Responding to the publication of the NAO’s new report into the resilience of the food supply chain to disruptions, Ben Fletcher, Chief Executive of business group Logistics UK said:
“The UK’s food supply chain is highly complex and interconnected and today’s (4 September) report from the National Audit Office reinforces the position of Logistics UK that it would benefit from a more co-ordinated approach to protect the chain’s long-term security. Food supply chain resilience is directly linked to the overall health and resilience of the logistics industry. Our work with Food 7 Cymru and others shows how important it is to involve all parties from a regional to a national level to test the ongoing resilience of all the elements involved, to ensure that any potential disruption to supply can be minimised.”
Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, water and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please visit logistics.org.uk
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Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General
Government must engage more with households, communities and industry to strengthen food supply chain resilience to shocks
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) must work more closely with households, communities and industry to ensure the food supply chain can withstand increasingly likely and severe shocks including extreme weather events, cyber-attacks and disease outbreaks, according to a new National Audit Office (NAO) report.1,2,3,4
The government has designated food as one of 13 Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors that it considers essential for the country to function properly.5
During recent disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, private sector businesses have succeeded in keeping the food supply chain running, in most cases without the need for significant government assistance.6
But short- and long-term risks that could significantly affect the food supply chain are becoming more likely and potentially more severe. For example, climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events. As a result, Defra is less confident about the private sector’s ability to withstand such shocks without greater government intervention.
Defra has taken some positive steps to improve its preparedness for food supply disruptions, such as expanding its Food Supply Chain Resilience team and increasing its focus on planning for catastrophic events where food supply would be seriously affected.
However, it has done too little in recent years to encourage businesses, households and communities to strengthen resilience and prepare for potential food shortages caused by disruption to the food supply chain. UK households are less prepared for emergencies compared with several other countries, according to government research.7
While food supply chain businesses praised how Defra engaged with them during the COVID-19 pandemic, they told the independent public spending watchdog that it has done so less frequently since then. These businesses also had limited input in the development of Defra’s ‘playbook’ for responding to food supply disruptions, creating a risk that plans may not work in practice. Scenario exercises that test Defra’s preparedness for catastrophic events that would severely disrupt food supply – the last national exercise took place in 2023 – have also largely excluded food supply chain businesses, with some indicating that they would welcome inclusion in future exercises.8
Meanwhile, local resilience forums have indicated that they lack clarity from Defra on what is expected of them in the event of disruption.9
Defra also needs to contend with wider structural issues, the NAO report says. Despite participating in several cross-government working groups and boards, Defra stated in 2025 that it had very little confidence that cross-government work to build resilience was sufficiently joined-up. Defra also lacks the legal powers it may need during a catastrophic event to maintain food supply, such as the power to direct businesses to take emergency action.
Defra can further improve resilience by learning from approaches used in other CNI sectors and in other countries.
To strengthen the food supply chain’s resilience to disruptions, the NAO recommends that Defra:
“Recent disruptions have shown the resilience of the UK’s food supply chain, but risks are increasing in likelihood and severity. “Defra should learn from approaches taken in other countries, and strengthen preparedness for emergencies by testing plans with local government and industry.” |
