Food Security

(asked on 9th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made a recent estimate of the probability of ailing to achieve food security.


Answered by
Mark Spencer Portrait
Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 9th January 2023

The United Kingdom has a highly resilient food supply chain. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. Defra has a collaborative relationship with industry which allows us to effectively respond to disruption, should it occur.

Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. This report will serve as an evidence base for future policy work.

The report recognises the contribution made by British farmers to our resilience, and the importance of strong domestic production to our food security. It considers the UK's food supply sources overall, noting that domestic production and diversity of supply are both important to our food security.

We continue to monitor food prices using the ONS inflation figures.

International commodity prices are heavily influenced by factors such as energy costs and exchange rates. Given sustained pressures, we anticipate food prices continuing to trend upwards until early 2023 and then begin to fall gradually.

Defra is taking action to maintain an efficient food supply chain by mitigating against any potential burdens or friction which could otherwise drive-up consumer food prices.

Through regular engagement, Defra will continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures.

Food prices are set individually by businesses. It is not for HM Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies. Rising food prices are dependent on a combination of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, exchange rates, domestic labour and manufacturing costs.

The Government is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to tackling poverty and supporting people on lower incomes.

We understand that people are worried about the cost-of-living challenges ahead which is why the Government has announced decisive action to support households.

To protect the most vulnerable, the Chancellor recently announced a package of targeted support worth £26 billion, which includes continued support for rising energy bills.

More than eight million households on means-tested benefits will receive a cost-of-living payment of £900 in instalments, with £300 to pensioners and £150 for people on disability benefits.

This is in addition to the existing £1.5 billion to help households with the cost of essentials, including food.

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