UK food security push under PM Burnham

In early July 2026, the National Farmers’ Union, the British Retail Consortium, the Food and Drink Federation and UK Hospitality sent an open letter to prospective UK prime‑ministerial candidates outlining a five‑point plan to make the British food system more resilient and affordable. After Andy Burnham became prime minister on 21 July, the NFU reiterated the same roadmap in a letter to Downing Street and urged adoption of the Good Food Bill, which would set legally binding targets on fruit and vegetable consumption, obesity reduction and food‑insecurity mitigation. A Food Foundation report released alongside the appointment of Yvette Cooper as health secretary highlighted household food insecurity at 12.2%, affecting around 6.5 million adults and 2.2 million children.

On the day of his appointment, the NFU again pressed the government to enact the Good Food Bill. A week later, a coalition of leading retailers—including Tesco, Danone, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Waitrose and Co‑op—and charities such as Barnardo’s, Amnesty International UK and WWF‑UK issued a joint letter urging Burnham to prioritize national food security. The letter warned of a “next food shock”, citing a 16 % drop in domestic fruit and vegetable production since 2015, 78 % reliance on imports, a 40 % rise in fertilizer costs and projected food‑price inflation of 50 % by November versus 2021 levels. It noted that 15 % of households with children already face food insecurity and that rising costs push families toward cheaper, less‑healthy diets, adding pressure on the NHS. The coalition called for food policy to be placed on equal footing with energy and defence in national planning.