Britain’s food security at risk unless Government & industry acts now, warns Ranjit Boparan

Ranjit Boparan, President of 2 Sisters Food Group, has warned Britain’s food security is under major threat and needs urgent, co-ordinated action from Government and industry for the country to become more self-sufficient.

Climate shocks driven by the El Niño weather phenomenon, on-going inflation and global conflict are significantly disrupting supply chains, making Britain’s reliance on imports increasingly exposed and the prospect of increased food prices for consumers.

Ranjit Boparan said: “The UK food sector is now in a perfect storm. Extreme weather conditions which will continue into this autumn/winter and next summer, on-going conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, and persistent cost pressures are all putting supply chains under huge strain. Without action, families face even more food inflation.

“Our NextGen strategy is about building a stronger, more sustainable and more affordable British food supply chain. We're investing £2bn to modernise factories and farms, raise welfare and environmental standards, and support our Net Zero by 2035 ambition.

“Britain has a huge opportunity to back its farmers and food producers, but rising costs, weak infrastructure and planning delays are holding us back. Farms and food production sites should be prioritised, with decisions made at pace. We have farm planning applications that have been held up in the system for well over a year."

Boparan-associated companies are already investing tens of millions of pounds into UK food manufacturing sites, injecting £50 million into the agricultural economy through British-grown poultry feed protein, stronger deforestation-free sourcing, and a project to replace synthetic chemical fertiliser with a natural alternative.

Mr Boparan added: “We're doing all we can to strengthen Britain’s food security, but we cannot do it alone. Government must work with industry to improve critical national infrastructure such as water. We need less talk and more action.

“We have warned successive governments that the UK food supply chain is fragile. We need a combined strategy and we need action now, not more discussion. Without targeted action on resilience, planning and critical infrastructure, farms and food manufacturing sites will close and costs will increase, leaving Britain even more reliant on imports, compromising quality and animal welfare standards, and weakening both food security and national security.”

ENDS