Tesco and Sainsbury’s have sounded the alarm over Britain’s food supplies amid a heatwave and wildfires in Europe. The country’s biggest supermarkets, including these two, have urged ministers to tackle issues around food security in a new letter to Andy Burnham.
They point out that Britain is importing more fruit and vegetables while growing less of its own, which is a concern for food security. Tesco and Sainsbury’s are among the businesses that have signed the letter, along with huge food manufacturers Greencore and Danone.
The letter, organised by the Food Foundation charity, has also received the backing of charities including Barnardo’s, Amnesty International UK, and WWF-UK. The UK is grappling with ‘three overlapping challenges’, including a food supply that is ‘exposed to increasingly frequent environmental and geopolitical shocks’.
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Prices are rising ‘much quicker than people’s incomes’, and worsening food-related ill-health issues are also a concern, the letter states. Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said that the UK food system is ‘dangerously exposed to shocks far beyond our borders’.
This has resulted in higher food prices and the poorest families struggling to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, she said. And British farmers are also ‘struggling to make ends meet,’ Taylor said, as farms have been hit by rising costs, such as for fertiliser, and harvests have been damaged by extreme weather.
Sainsbury’s chief executive, Simon Roberts, said: ‘Recent weeks have shown just how much pressure our food system is under. We need a more resilient food system that attracts investment, backs British farmers, and helps keep affordable, nutritious food on tables across the nation.’
The supermarkets also put childhood obesity on the agenda, pointing out the connection to fresh fruit and vegetables of a healthy diet. Their remarks come as wildfires have ripped through France, Spain, and Portugal this summer, damaging crops, while Britain has also faced sweltering temperatures.
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Firms want to see a ‘good food bill’ that will set ‘legally binding’ targets to reduce childhood obesity, increase the proportion of fruit and vegetables grown in Britain, and obligate politicians to be more transparent on their food policies.
British farmers and supermarkets will have to continue to adapt to the changing circumstances and find ways to provide affordable, nutritious food to consumers.
The food security of the UK is a complex issue.
