Britain’s biggest retailer Tesco is the latest to join over 100 food industry giants sounding the alarm over Britain’s food supplies
Over 100 food industry giants have signed a letter to PM Andy Burnham urgently calling for a ‘Good Food Bill’ to increase the UK’s national food security and improve public health.
Signatories include Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Co-op, Booths and Waitrose, as well as the wholesaler Bidfood, and food manufacturers Greencore and Danone.
The proposed bill – launched in February and led by The Food Foundation, Green Alliance and Sustain – calls for a framework to embed long-term objectives to ensure all have access to nutritious food.
The letter outlined ‘three overlapping challenges’ facing the UK’s food system, including environmental and geopolitical shocks, rising food prices, and continually worsening food-related ill health.
Conflict in the Middle East has increased fertiliser costs by around 40 per cent compared to pre-war levels, with the UK importing around 60 per cent of its nitrogen fertiliser.
Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) forecasts that UK food prices will be 50 per cent higher by November 2026 compared to levels at the start of the cost-of-living crisis.
The letter also emphasised how economic pressures continued to push a healthy diet out of reach for many, citing high rates of diet-related ill health as ‘the predictable result of a broken food system’.
The campaign argued that the bill would leave Britain better able to withstand ongoing food system shocks, boosting the horticulture sector and supporting the nation’s health.
Ashwin Prasad, CEO at Tesco UK, said: “The Good Food Bill has the potential to provide the accountability and long-term commitment needed to drive meaningful change, and by working together across government, business and communities, we can shape a food system that genuinely supports healthier futures for generations to come.”
The letter comes as over half of the UK has officially been declared in drought by the Environment Agency. Recent heatwaves across Europe have already led to shortages of fresh produce in the UK, including peas, cucumbers, and red cabbage, exposing the vunerability of the food system.
Simon Roberts, chief executive at Sainsbury’s, said: “Recent weeks have shown just how much pressure our food system is under. We need a more resilient food system that attracts investment, backs British farmers and helps keep affordable, nutritious food on tables across the nation.
“Food and farming should be at the heart of government policy, helping to build a stronger and more resilient future. That’s why we’ve signed the Good Food Bill. Through working together to drive the change we need across government, industry and communities, we can make sure everyone has access to good food for years to come.”
Andrew Selley, CEO of foodservice supplier Bidfood, said: “As a foodservice wholesaler, we’re all too familiar with the risks and challenges of resilient food supply, from our network of UK fruit and vegetable growers who are dealing firsthand with all the challenges outlined in this letter, to the price increases that are experienced by both our public and private sector customers.
“I would entirely agree with the Labour election manifesto that ‘food security is national security’, so for this and more reasons, Bidfood entirely supports the call for a Good Food Bill.”
