Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Paragraph: 28
There is no reason why the Government should have had any misconceptions about the capacity...
Recommendation
There is no reason why the Government should have had any misconceptions about the capacity of online retailers to cater for the increased demand from consumers shopping from home. Online accounted for a small proportion of the market before the pandemic and retailers were advising Defra on their capacity to increase the service. In encouraging people to shop online without acknowledging the limited capacity of retailers to cater for that demand, the Government set the scene for public COVID-19 and food supply 47 frustration and for blame to be placed at the door of the retailers. We are concerned that there may have been a failure of communication between Government and the public, and across Government. The Government should clarify how it intends to manage the mismatch between demand and capacity for online food shopping in the event of a second wave of COVID-19 infections. There should be better communication across Government and between Government and the public about online capacity.
Paragraph Reference:
28
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
As the national response to the pandemic developed it became clear that there was significant demand for online delivery services across the major supermarket chains. Industry reacted quickly to increase capacity of both delivery services and click and collect services, however demand quickly exceeded the increased capacity that retailers were able to put into place. The pressure on these services and the resultant impact on the most vulnerable groups was something that retailers made clear during ongoing engagement with government departments. Initial messaging highlighted online delivery services as one of the options that people could take to access food and other essentials. In response to feedback from industry, we adapted public messaging to encourage people to shop in store where possible and to help vulnerable friends, families and neighbours by offering to shop on their behalf. This brought government messaging back into line with communications from retailers to their customers. We also highlighted the wide range of other ways that people could access food and supplies for delivery, for example through smaller, local shops. Retailers communicated this information to their customers through direct channels and Government messages mirrored this across its own channels. We also targeted information to local areas through social media and partnered with local authorities and charities to share messaging for vulnerable groups on how to access food through volunteers and local services. The experience from COVID-19 will inform the government’s approach to communicating about the capacity and range of sources of access to food supply in any similar future situations.