UK households are being encouraged to keep supplies of bottled water and tinned food at home, as part of government advice to prepare for potential emergencies.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said households should have enough basic provisions to cope with disruptions including power cuts, flooding, wildfires and cyber attacks, as well as the possibility of conflict.

Speaking ahead of the Labour Party conference, Streeting said people should have “a supply of bottled water indoors” alongside “some tinned goods” that could be eaten if a power cut left households unable to cook.

He stressed that the advice was intended to make people “alert not alarmed”, describing the measures as basic preparations rather than a call for widespread stockpiling.

The food element of the advice centres on non-perishable products that can be stored for extended periods and consumed without relying on electricity. The government’s wider Prepare guidance includes items such as tinned meat, fruit and vegetables, while nutrition experts have also highlighted staples including oats, rice and pasta as suitable emergency provisions.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

The advice puts renewed focus on the role of ambient grocery and packaged water in household resilience. Retailers and suppliers could face increased demand for longer-life products, if consumers respond by building up small emergency reserves.

The government has emphasised that households do not need to make large purchases.

The guidance also highlights the importance of maintaining access to drinking water if normal services are disrupted. Bottled water therefore sits alongside ambient food as one of the few grocery categories specifically singled out by Streeting.

The government’s messaging comes as food security and supply chain resilience face growing scrutiny, with the UK remaining reliant on imports for a large proportion of its food needs.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash