The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that the UK government has not done enough to prepare the country's food supply chain for growing risks such as the climate crisis, disease outbreaks and cyber-attacks. The public spending watchdog is calling on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to work more closely with households, communities and businesses so that food supplies can withstand shocks that are becoming more frequent and severe. This matters because Britain relies on imports for over a third of its food, much of it funnelled through just four ports, leaving the system exposed to disruption.

The NAO found that although Defra had taken some steps to improve resilience, it had communicated less with industry since the Covid-19 pandemic and had limited input from businesses when drawing up contingency plans. The last major national exercise testing preparedness took place in 2023 but excluded most supply chain firms, while local resilience forums said they lacked clarity on what would be expected of them in an emergency. Food industry groups want cold stores and transport hubs added to the government's list of critical national infrastructure to guarantee their power supply, and the Cold Chain Federation has previously accused ministers of "complacency" on the issue. NAO head Gareth Davies said Defra should learn from other countries and test plans jointly with local government and industry.