UK food supply chain faces increasing risks, NAO report warns

A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned of vulnerabilities within the United Kingdom’s food supply chain, specifically highlighting risks to the cold chain infrastructure. The cold chain, which manages temperature-controlled storage and transport, is essential for approximately half of all food consumed in the UK.

The NAO identified several threats to this system, including aging facilities, rising refrigeration costs, energy supply dependence, cyber-attacks, and labor shortages for warehouse and heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers. The report noted that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) currently lacks detailed knowledge regarding the cold chain’s role in managing supply fluctuations and storage for retailers.

Furthermore, the NAO cautioned that the government’s reliance on the private sector to maintain resilience during crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, may be reaching its limits. Defra is reportedly “less confident” in the private sector's ability to maintain resilience without government assistance as acute risks like extreme weather and chronic risks like climate change increase. The report suggests that disruption to these systems could lead to food price inflation and increased food poverty.