Shoppers stock up on emergency food as industry urges government action

Government advice on keeping a small store of food has fuelled a rise in emergency stockpiling, according to a broadcast report, with shoppers buying extra supplies and parts of the food industry calling for more official planning.

Angela Eagle, the minister in charge of food and farming, told a newspaper: 'if you've got a store of a bit of food that can keep you going, you're going to be a lot better off.' The government is not telling people to stockpile. It says they could consider simple emergency planning for everyday risks. A government minister first spoke about storing a little food a few weeks ago, against a backdrop of extreme weather, cyber attacks and global conflicts.

The report pointed to less predictable weather, more frequent cyber attacks and less reliable global energy supplies. It said nobody was suggesting an imminent emergency, but some shoppers are acting anyway.

Alex Budden has an emergency food stash for his family and has started a website offering free help to others. He said his supplies, combined with what is normally in the house, fridge and freezer, would last about five or six days. He rejected the label of apocalyptic believer, but said power disruptions, loss of water supply and difficulty getting food can happen at any time. A fire officer who also helps families online with tailored emergency plans advised buying a little extra of the day-to-day food people already use. Within a few weeks, he said, families could have enough to stay at home for three days.

A United Nations report listed 28 perceived dangers, including war, AI and shortages. The report also noted a 5,000% rise in UK online searches for stockpiling this month.

Attention also fell on the cold chain. Half the UK's food relies on refrigeration. A vast temperature-controlled warehouse operating at minus 24 degrees is one of almost 500 in the UK. There are growing warnings that these sites are a blind spot in emergency planning. Industry figures said the red dial is flashing on climate, war and cyber security risks. They asked whether the UK has preferential access to energy in a crisis, said the answer is no and called on the government to change that. The government said the UK has a resilient energy system and that it is working to make the food supply chain more robust.

For some shoppers, the approach is summed up by the old principle: better safe than sorry.