Food supply chain resilience and fairness

In recent years, external shocks have affected the UK’s food supply chain, raising questions about its resilience and vulnerabilities. Extreme weather events, such as floods, have put further pressure on domestic food production, as well as affecting countries that the UK sources food from. The impact of extreme weather on supply chains is likely to increase due to climate change. The Government has identified food security as a national security issue. The fairness in the food supply chain inquiry will provide consistent scrutiny of issues relating to the UK’s food security, the levels of support for domestic food production and the provision of affordable and healthy food. It will focus on producers, manufacturers and retailers, as well as other actors in the supply chain, and seek to engage with these stakeholders in formal calls for evidence, public evidence sessions, visits, engagement events and consultation. The Committee will call for evidence on a regular basis. The Committee will produce iterative and focused reports throughout the inquiry. Topics for scrutiny will include, but are not limited to: structural relationships in the food supply chain; national food strategy; food security; labour shortages in the supply chain; resilience and length of supply chains and food systems; public sector procurement of food; food and animal welfare standards; food labelling; food prices and household food insecurity; opportunities and challenges Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) present for the UK’s food sector; and access to affordable and healthy food. This inquiry will engage the Committee’s cross-cutting work on the future of farming and supporting rural and coastal communities. Read the call for evidence here