Backing local food with public spend
This article originally appeared on LBC Opinion.
With a global trade war looming, and the UK relying on imports for roughly 40% of its food, we are reminded – once again – of the fragility of our reliance on global supply chains. In that light, the government’s pledge that at least 50% of public sector food spending – worth £5bn annually – will go to UK suppliers seems all the more relevant. But how realistic is that promise? And what would it take to make it happen?
Even The Archers, the world’s long-running soap opera, has picked up on the issue. Farmers are struggling, squeezed by supermarket giants and rising costs. Meanwhile, more families than ever rely on food banks, childhood obesity is soaring, and the climate crisis demands urgent action to rethink how we produce and distribute food. Yet, instead of investing in local supply chains, public money continues to flow to large national suppliers.
