First Report - COVID-19 and food supply

The government expresses pleasure regarding the committee's observation that Defra worked well with the industry during the crisis and commits to continuing close collaboration with retailers.

The government acknowledges the committee's observation, explaining that they were monitoring the situation and attributing increased retail demand to complex consumer behaviours. They commit to working with industry to learn from this experience and minimise future supply chain disruptions.

The government echoes the committee's commendation of supermarkets' efforts to expand online shopping capacity and agrees that the temporary relaxation of drivers' hours rules assisted deliveries, also noting the waiver of the carrier bag charge.

The government explains how it adapted public messaging and worked with retailers to manage online shopping demand during the initial phase of the pandemic, stating this experience will inform its approach to future communication, but does not clarify a specific plan for managing capacity mismatch in a second wave.

The government acknowledged the observation on increased food bank use by detailing £16 million in funding for food charities and outlining over £6.5 billion in additional welfare support, including increases to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit.

The government agrees that cross-government collaboration on food insecurity is crucial and states that departments continue to monitor the situation and engage with stakeholders. However, it does not commit to appointing a Minister for Food Security or to specific new measures for reporting food insecurity levels.

The government defends its monitoring and early engagement with the food chain during the pandemic, detailing its actions from January, in response to the committee's conclusion that more could have been done to anticipate supply chain disruption. It commits to learning from this experience to minimize future disruptions.

The government acknowledges the significant challenges faced by hospitality businesses and the need for their economic viability, noting that new measures are in response to this, but the full details are truncated in the provided response.

The government joined the committee in thanking food supply chain workers, reiterating its gratitude and mentioning the past 'Food Heroes campaign' that recognised their efforts.

The government acknowledged the committee's surprise regarding preparedness, explaining that food is a Critical National Infrastructure sector with recognized risks, and existing work for various scenarios informed their understanding of the supply chain. They stated COVID-19 presented unprecedented circumstances and highlighted the rapid, resilient response from the food industry with government support, emphasizing well-established ways of working and ongoing measures.

The government acknowledges its actions to provide emergency food during the pandemic and commits to continued engagement with industry through existing groups like the FCELG to support the food sector and maintain food supply resilience.

The government states that competition law exclusion orders are for exceptional circumstances and that Defra will continue to work with the food industry for the end of the transition period, taking account of competition law, but does not explicitly explain whether another relaxation may be required.