Food insecurity exposed by COVID-19 ‘likely to get worse before it gets better,’ says committee report

Use of UK food banks almost doubled during lockdown, with a significant spike in demand from people with children, according to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

The Committee’s COVID-19 and Food Supply Report finds the pandemic to have exacerbated food insecurity for millions of people. Recognising that the situation is likely to worsen, the cross-party group of MPs call on Government to urgently appoint a ‘Minister for Food Security’. The new Minister would work across Government departments to collect robust data and deliver sustainable change. The report also urges the Government to consult on whether a ‘right to food’ should be put in legislation.

The report, which dissects the Government’s response to the pandemic’s disruptive impact on the food supply sector, highlights the significant knock-on effect of closures on suppliers, consumers and food aid organisations. Although MPs conclude that Defra’s response once the crisis hit was largely commendable, the report questions why the Government appeared unprepared for disruptions given the spikes in retail demand and the impact of foodservice closures that followed lockdowns in other countries.

One factor that mitigated the impact of the pandemic on food supplies was that cross-border movement of food continued, but the report warns the Government cannot be complacent that this will always be the case. Possible future crises triggered by climate change or a disorderly end to the Brexit transition period could pose potentially greater challenges if they hit imports of food to the UK. The Committee therefore recommends that the Government reviews its resilience plans for the food sector and assess the extent to which our dependence on multi-national, just-in-time supply chains affects resilience.

Neil Parish MP, Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, said:

"The lockdown may have eased, but problems with food security are far from over. Food banks and other food redistribution organisations have reacted heroically to a shocking spike in demand for food aid, but this problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. It is therefore essential that the Government appoints a new Minister for Food Security who will stop this issue falling between the cracks.

“The Government’s actions to lock-down the country and close businesses were necessary, but they had huge impacts on the food sector and on food security. Defra’s response once the crisis hit was commendable, but despite warnings from other countries, it seemed as though the Government was constantly playing catch-up in trying to support the food industry during this crisis. The pandemic also highlighted our reliance on key workers, and I unreservedly thank those in the food supply chain whose work kept the nation fed throughout the crisis.

"In the future the Government will need to communicate better with the public. The voucher scheme for free school meals failed to recognise where families using them were likely to shop and encouraging everyone to shop online, when supermarkets had warned they would struggle to meet demand, set the scene for public frustration. We want the Government to learn lessons for the future.”

ENDS

The COVID-19 and Food Supply Report also finds that:

· While the Free School Meal voucher scheme was set up at 'commendable speed', the initial exclusion of retailers such as Lidl, Aldi and local convenience stores, while including Waitrose and M&S food, was out of touch with the reality of where families were likely to shop.

· The Government was too slow to provide guidance on PPE and social distancing for key workers in the food supply chain.

· The closure of the foodservice and hospitality sectors impacted businesses all the way through the supply chain. The report includes evidence that these sectors are likely to be affected by the impacts of the pandemic until 2022.

Key recommendations:

· In the event of a potential second wave, communication regarding food supply in shops should be clearer across Government and between Government and the public.

· Consideration for people with disabilities and other vulnerabilities must be built into the Government's emergency planning, so that future crises do not disproportionately impact certain disadvantaged groups.

· The Free School Meal voucher scheme should be made more flexible to consider the realities of families dependent on free school meals, and should recognise the importance of community-led responses.

· The Committee calls on the Government to continue to fund the £5 million a year FareShare project to redistribute otherwise wasted food from farmgate to frontline community groups.

· The Government should consult on whether the 'Right to Food' should be given a legislative footing. Not only must the Government respond to the upcoming National Food Strategy within six months, but the Agriculture Bill should be amended so that food security assessments occur annually, rather than every five years as proposed.

· As the hospitality sector gets back on its feet, the Government should monitor the impact on suppliers whilst ensuring that foodservice and hospitality businesses thriving before the pandemic remain financially viable.

· Anticipating the end of the transition period, possible food supply disruptions, including the impacts of consumer behaviour, must be urgently factored into contingency planning.