Resilience of the UK's food supply to disruptions

The UK’s food supply chain is complex, made up of many privately owned businesses across agriculture, retail, and catering. A catastrophic disruption to the UK’s food supply from could lead to impacts including shortages, inflation, and lack of access to food for vulnerable groups. Government aims to influence the sector to increase its resilience, and could step in to support in the event of a severe disruption unmanageable by the private sector alone. The PAC has a long-standing interest in resilience to societal risk. Its 2025 report on resilience to animal diseases such as bird flu warned of inadequate levels of preparation by government, while similarly its report on resilience to extreme weather in 2024 found a lack of clarity for communities in how to deal with these challenges. Its report on flood defences in the same year found that government did not know if it was making progress towards its ambition of a nation more resilient to flooding. The National Audit Office (NAO) publishes its report on the resilience of the food supply chain to disruptions in summer 2026 , examining whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is taking effective action to ensure the UK food supply chain is resilient to shocks and disruptions. Proceeding from the NAO’s report, the PAC will take evidence from witnesses including senior Defra officials on subjects including risks to the supply chain, the likely impact of disruption to it, and preparedness levels. The Committee will welcome written evidence on these issues in due course. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues.