Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the potential impact of climate change-driven food inflation on food security.
Defra is taking action to reduce this impact and support the continued production and supply of food for UK citizens. For example, we are actively implementing the third National Adaptation Programme which sets out a range of measures to improve resilience and adaptation to climate change across the food supply and farming sector.
Defra works across Government to improve understanding of the drivers of food prices and their impact on households. This includes analysis of food inflation trends, engagement with industry to improve transparency where possible, and close collaboration with HM Treasury, the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care to mitigate cost pressures on consumers, particularly those most affected by the cost of living. Defra also works to reduce unnecessary regulatory costs that can feed through to consumer prices.