More than nine in 10 food industry leaders and academics believe risks facing the UK food system have increased over the past year, according to new research from IGD.

The organisation’s first resilience survey found that 91 per cent of respondents thought food system risk had risen during the previous 12 months.

Geopolitics was ranked as the most significant threat over the next five years, followed by climate change, water pressures and challenges facing agriculture.

Every respondent also said government policy had failed to strengthen the resilience of the UK food system over the past year.

Food supply chains face mounting pressure

IGD said grocery businesses were operating in an increasingly volatile environment shaped by international conflict, extreme weather, rising costs and more fragile supply chains.

Its survey ranked the economics of the food system as the fifth-biggest risk, followed by labour and skills, animal disease, cyber-security, biodiversity loss and a lack of supply chain visibility.

While geopolitics received the highest overall score, IGD warned that climate change was likely to pose the greatest long-term threat because it intensified other risks, including water scarcity, agricultural disruption and biodiversity loss.

The findings form part of IGD’s third annual resilience report, Thriving in a Volatile World, which is designed to help food and grocery companies prioritise the threats most likely to affect supply, costs and availability.

IGD senior resilience manager Kathryn Reynolds said: “The risks facing the food system are intensifying, and building resilience has become a shared priority across all sectors at a fast rate.

“For food businesses, reacting to disruption is no longer enough. Organisations must anticipate change, invest in capability and build supply chains that can withstand shocks, adapt quickly and thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

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