A new report from the National Audit Office (NAO) concludes that the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) must do more to ensure the food supply chain can withstand increasingly likely and severe shocks including extreme weather events, cyber-attacks and disease outbreaks.
The government has designated food as one of 13 Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors that it considers essential for the country to function properly. Whilst private sector businesses have kept the supply chain running quite effectively during recent disruptions, such as the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the NAO warns that 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.
Furthermore, the NAO report finds that the capability and capacity of Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) to respond to food supply disruptions is insufficient, and they lack clarity on what is expected of them.
The role of LRFs and the NHS
LRFs are multi-agency partnerships involving emergency services, local authorities, the NHS, the Environment Agency and others. Overseen by the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), the 38 LRFs in England are responsible for planning for and responding to a range of localised incidents and catastrophic emergencies across the full range of National Risk Register risks. This includes those that may affect food supply.
The 2022 UK Government Resilience Framework highlighted the importance of
strengthening LRFs.
The MHCLG advised the NAO that most LRFs do not plan specifically for food supply disruptions, although this should form part of their planning for other risks, such as power outages.
The Cabinet Office’s 2026 National Capabilities Assessment relating to food
supply highlighted a gap in the ability to respond at a local level during catastrophic
scenarios. Nor has Defra been clear on what it would expect from LRFs during a
severe food disruption.
The NAO report concludes that whilst 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, it must do more to encourage businesses, households and communities to strengthen resilience and prepare for potential food shortages caused by disruption to the food supply chain.
“Recent disruptions have shown the resilience of the UK’s food supply chain, but risks are increasing in likelihood and severity,” says Gareth Davies, Head of the NAO. “Defra should learn from approaches taken in other countries and strengthen preparedness for emergencies by testing plans with local government and industry.”
