Britain cannot simply “grow its way out” of food security concerns and must maintain a strong global fresh produce supply chain, the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) has warned.

The trade body said domestic production had an important role to play, but argued that the UK’s food resilience depended on balancing homegrown supply with diverse seasonal sourcing from international markets.

Fresh Produce Consortium chief executive Nigel Jenney said the debate around food security was at risk of being oversimplified, particularly as climate disruption, labour shortages, rising costs and global supply chain instability continue to put pressure on the fresh produce sector.

“The solution isn’t as simple as ‘grow more here’,” he said.

“Land availability remains a major challenge and the UK itself is increasingly exposed to the very same climate shocks affecting global production regions.

“We absolutely can grow more domestically, but food security depends on achieving the right balance between UK production and diverse seasonal sourcing from around the world.”

Jenney said imported fresh produce remained essential to feeding UK consumers year-round, particularly given the seasonality of British production and the scale of demand for fruit and vegetables.

The FPC said the UK imports around 4m tonnes of fresh produce from non-EU global markets, accounting for roughly half of the country’s fresh produce imports outside the EU.

Jenney said: “That global supply network is not a weakness. It is a critical part of our national food security strategy.”

However, the FPC warned that proposed UK-EU reset arrangements could put that balance under strain by adding new regulatory and financial burdens on fresh produce imported from outside the EU.

Jenney questioned whether the UK should adopt EU legislation for food supplies destined solely for the UK market, warning that doing so could increase risk and cost across the supply chain.

“In effect we are assuming the EU alone will wish to supply the volumes and seasonal continuity the UK requires. It simply cannot,” he said.

“The scale and seasonality of UK fresh produce demand requires a balanced domestic and global supply model. This is absolutely imperative.”

The FPC said it was concerned that government policy was failing to recognise the strategic importance of maintaining strong trading relationships with non-EU suppliers.

Jenney said: “The rest of the world supply chain is not optional. It is fundamental to mitigating food security risks.

“Yet we continue to see policies developing that will add hundreds of millions of pounds in unnecessary officially imposed costs at the sole discretion of the UK government on global food imports at a time when affordability and resilience should be the priority.”

The trade body also challenged the scientific basis for sanitary and phytosanitary changes currently under discussion, arguing that post-Brexit UK controls had already improved by moving towards a more science-led approach.

Jenney said the SPS regulations and import inspections expected under the reset would add cost without delivering clear value for UK trade or consumers.

“To be clear, UK SPS controls of rest of the world fresh produce has changed significantly for the better since leaving the EU,” he said.

“The UK science-based approach removed or significantly reduced this outdated border inspection approach.”

Jenney said the FPC supported a sensible reset with the EU, but warned that it should not come at the expense of wider food security or relationships with global suppliers.

“We support a sensible reset, but not at any cost,” he said.

“We have repeatedly offered practical solutions that would deliver a balanced, resilient and effective food supply system to maximise trade with the EU and rest of the world, promoting a practical win-win solution.

“Unfortunately, the sector fears it will once again be ignored, with fresh produce businesses becoming the casualty of short-sighted political decisions.”