The government has been warned that food security in the UK is dropping with fewer households able to feed themselves well – and the Soil Association is calling for “rapid and radical action” on nature-friendly farming.
In a Defra report to parliament launched on Wednesday 11 December, it was revealed that the percentage of highly food secure households (defined as all people at all times having access to enough food for an active, healthy life) has dropped from 87% in 2019/20 to 83% in 2022/23. The notable decrease in food security coincides with increased financial pressures to household budgets, from both high general inflation and high food inflation.
While a large majority of households in the UK continue to be food secure, food insecurity rates vary greatly by demographic. Low-income and disabled groups continue to be disproportionately at risk of household food insecurity – 84% of households with disabled people are classified as food secure compared to 94% for households without disabled people in 2023.
The report also reveals that most people do not meet government dietary recommendations. Those from low-income households are less likely to meet recommendations than their higher income counterparts, with the poorest 10% eating on average 42% less fruits and vegetables than recommended, compared to the richest who eat 13% less.
Soil Association Head of Food Policy Rob Percival, has responded to the report, saying: “We need rapid and radical action to overhaul our food system. Climate breakdown and nature loss are already undermining the UK’s food security, and it’s going to get worse. We need this new government to listen. Many farmers have been warning of a growing climate threat for years, and we’re yet to see the necessary response. Rhetorical commitments to ‘roadmaps’ and ‘strategies’ aren’t going to fill bellies – we need hard, secure investment in nature-friendly and organic farming, which can help build resilience by protecting soils and wildlife.
“The promised government food plan needs to boost British fruit and veg production and consumption while addressing dietary inequalities and ensure everyone can access healthy, fresh and minimally processed foods that do not come with a big cost to the environment. This will require coordination across departments and leadership from Number 10.
“The picture painted in the report is deeply concerning, but there are also glaring omissions. Little attention is given to climate tipping points which might radically impact future UK food security. Zoonotic disease spillover, and the disruptive potential of another pandemic, are neglected. And the urgency of fossil fuel phase out is ignored – it’s concerning that the report is still implying that fossil fuel-derived synthetic nitrogen is necessary for food security when alternatives are available.”
Double British fruit and veg production and consumption
Earlier this year the Soil Association led a campaign calling for a horticulture strategy that aims to double British fruit and veg production and consumption, through agroecological farming like organic.
The campaign and policy report, co-authored with The Wildlife Trusts and Sustain, urged government to start with supporting schools to serve up healthy, veg-packed meals for children, following the example set in Food for Life schools.
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