Government warned not to rely on private sector to safeguard food security

Sustain calls on the Government to strengthen local and regional food supply chains after a National Audit Office report warned that Defra relies too heavily on private businesses to safeguard the UK's food security.

A new report published by the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) is overly reliant on private businesses to deal with disruptions to food supply.

The NAO is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. Its new report examines whether Defra is taking effective action against key risks that could result in catastrophic disruption to food supply, such as extreme weather events related to climate change.

While the NAO acknowledges that Defra has taken some positive steps to improve its preparedness for disruption, it warns that short- and long-term risks to food supply are becoming more likely and more severe.

Recent disruptions have increased public and political attention on the resilience of the UK’s food system, such as this summer’s severe drought, which has resulted in lower yields and increased costs for farming businesses.

Alys Bannister, Sustainable Farming Campaign Manager at Sustain said:

"The NAO's report is a timely reminder that building a resilient food system cannot be left to the private sector alone. Following a difficult summer for many farmers and growers, it's increasingly clear that climate change is making the risks from drought, flooding and other extreme weather harder to ignore.

The Government needs to increase investment in resilience across our food system, rather than simply responding to disruptions when they happen. The Horticulture Sector Growth Plan is one opportunity to start making that investment now by strengthening local and regional food infrastructure, creating more routes to market for producers, and building resilience throughout the supply chain."

Julia Kirby-Smith, from Sustain alliance member Better Food Traders, said:

“The NAO’s warning should be a wake-up call for policymakers. As an organisation supporting local food enterprises across the UK, we’ve already seen how well they can adapt to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We know the strength of locally-rooted businesses lies in their direct and fair dealings with food producers, their key role on local high streets, and their commitment to local customers - qualities that big business often lacks. We’d like to see more urgent action from the new Prime Minister to grow local food infrastructure and SME businesses so that more people can access sustainably produced, nutritious food near where they live.”

What changes are needed?

The Sustainable Food Places (SFP) Network, of which Sustain is a programme partner, has been working with Defra, regional authorities and resilience bodies, to ensure that local food partnerships – who bring together growers, businesses, councils and community groups – are at the heart of national and local plans to respond to crises. The SFP report Civil Food Resilience in Practice identifies a framework to put this into action.

Vera Zakharov, Local Action Coordinator at Sustain said:

"We are seeing a growing consensus, and learning from the Covid-19 pandemic, that the private sector alone cannot safeguard public access to nourishing food in a time of crisis. What we need is a ‘whole of society’ approach, with coordinated and collective action across sectors led by community expertise.”

Sustain believes a more resilient food system requires coordinated action across the whole food chain. The recent Bridging the Gap report looked at how to build up alternatives supply chains to deliver this whole-system approach, exploring ways to ensure a better return for farmers and opening up access to organic fruit and veg to people on low-incomes via public procurement contracts and vouchers schemes.

Sustain is also calling for local food systems to be prioritised in the Government’s forthcoming Food Strategy. They offer a desirable and scalable way to improve resilience, stabilise inflationary pressure and retain more wealth in local communities. Doing so will benefit consumers, support British farmers and growers, and boost local economies.

 

Published 9 Sep 2026