New IGD survey finds 91% believe risk to the UK’s food system has increased

More than nine in ten industry leaders and academics say risk to the UK food system has increased over the past 12 months, according to the Institute of Grocery Distribution’s (IGD) first resilience survey, published as part of its third annual resilience report, Thriving in a Volatile World.

To identify and rank the top risks to UK food system resilience, IGD first compiled research from industry surveys, interviews and independent analysis to determine ten key risk factors.

Industry leaders and academics were then asked to rank these risks through IGD’s first resilience survey, using multiple-choice questions to assess each category against severity, scale and likelihood, creating an evidence-based ranking from highest to lowest risk.

The survey identifies the risks expected to have the greatest impact on UK food system resilience over the next five years. Geopolitics was ranked as the highest risk, followed by climate change, water and agriculture, while 100% of respondents said they do not believe government policy has strengthened food resilience over the past year.

The findings underline the scale and complexity of the challenge facing the UK food system, as businesses navigate a volatile operating environment shaped by global conflict, climate disruption, cost pressures and more fragile supply chains. The resulting ranking is designed to help food businesses focus attention on the risks most likely to affect their ability to maintain supply, manage costs and continue serving consumers in a volatile environment.

While geopolitics received the highest risk score, the IGD argues that climate change is likely to pose the greatest long-term risk to the UK food system because of the way it compounds other pressures, including “water scarcity, agricultural volatility, biodiversity loss and supply chain disruption,” it said.

Kathryn Reynolds, senior manager for resilience at IGD, said: “This year’s report shows that the risks facing the food system are intensifying - building resilience has become a shared priority across all sectors in the food system and at a fast rate.

“For food businesses, reacting to disruption is no longer enough. Organisations must anticipate change, invest in capability and build supply chains that can withstand shocks, adapt quickly and thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

The IGD’s free resilience report can be read in full here.