A new report from think tank Policy Exchange has unveiled the scale of the problem facing UK food security and laid out measures the Labour government can take to help.
The new report, called Strengthening the UK’s Food Security: Innovation and investment in the Food Manufacturing Sector and backed by a cross-party group of MPs and peers, as well as industry leaders across farming, manufacturing and retail, has called on the new government to “urgently place food security at the heart of industrial strategy and plans for growth”.
It also features exclusive polling data which shows that over half of all UK food and drink manufacturers think that mitigating supply chain risks is a “significant concern” for their businesses.
More generally, the Policy Exchange said that previous government initiatives on food security have “focused too narrowly on agriculture”, missing out on input from equally vital stakeholders in manufacturing, logistics and retail who play an essential role in keeping “products on shelves and prices down”.
Chair of Associated British Food George Weston said: “This report from Policy Exchange highlights the vital importance of food manufacturing to both food security and the UK economy and the key role that the sector plays in ensuring that our food is safe, nutritious and affordable.
“Associated British Foods believes that a pro-growth environment needs to be fostered thereby enabling the UK’s food and farming sector to decarbonise while simultaneously stimulating UK growth and investment, jobs and exports.”
What does the report highlight as the key issues facing the UK’s long-term food security, and what are some of the ways that a new Labour government can ensure they don’t turn into serious problems down the track?
A lack of consistency and investment
The report highlights a number of key issues facing long-term UK food security, but the major issues can be boiled down to a lack of a joined-up approach from previous governments over a number of years combined with a lack of investment in food and drink manufacturing in particular.
Policy Exchange found that investment in food manufacturing has dropped by 30% since 2019, despite the industry being responsible for generating £142bn in sales and over £24bn in international exports in that time. In the same period, in manufacturing more widely, investment has risen by 5%.
The report also argues that an inconsistent approach from numerous previous governments has led to the food sector “often being overlooked” when it comes to regulations, which in turn has led to “costly, overlapping and uncertain” decisions being made that “have also hindered efforts to attract investment”.
Unlike the approach of some, the Policy Exchange has also emphasised the importance of the UK’s food security within a global dimension. While it emphasises the importance of British farming, it “rejects the position that the UK should be self-sufficient in food production”, which it calls “an unrealistic aim which would be both unachievable and counterproductive”.
Given that the UK already imports some 40% of the food it consumes, the report instead calls on the government to build “a flexible, agile and robust trading ecosystem… and supply chains” and to “reorientate” international aid spending to support global food security.
Twenty-seven recommendations
The report makes 27 individual recommendations across areas including investment, innovation, regulation and international trade.
One of its main recommendations is that Labour should develop a National Food Security Strategy encompassing “the entire food ecosystem” and overseen by a Cabinet Committee or ministerial working group.
The government is urged to also “incorporate the whole food ecosystem” rather than just agricultural stakeholders whenever it comes to launch programmes, policies or opening up funding opportunities aimed at enhancing food security in future.
The British Business Bank should also establish a new transformation fund to support technology investment across the sector, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office should make “strengthening global food security an increasing focus of the UK’s development spend”.
The former chair and CEO of FMCG giant Nestlé UK and Ireland, Dame Fiona Kendrick, said: “Strengthening UK food security must be a national economic priority along with defence and energy security. Against the backdrop of increased geo-political instability and climate change, we cannot assume that our food system will always withstand shocks.
“The UK government should take forward these specific recommendations, including the development of a National Food Security Strategy, in collaboration with the entire food value chain, to deliver a more secure and resilient food system that invests for the future.”
Andrew Pakes, Labour MP for Peterborough, said: “The concept of food security has never been more important. It is paramount that we take a holistic approach to our food supply chain.
“I endorse the broad and encompassing approach that this Policy Exchange report recommends to support UK farmers and the manufacturing sector. Recent events have brought the concept of food security sharply to the fore, and as I have previously put forward, it should rank alongside energy security in terms of how we prioritise it.”
No comments yet