Climate change is disrupting the UK food system at every stage, from farmers’ fields to our shopping baskets. Record breaking heat and flooding have hit farm incomes, emptied supermarket shelves and driven up the cost of staples including coffee, cocoa and olive oil. Between 2022 and 2023, climate impacts added an estimated £361 to the average household food bill.
This report traces how extreme weather affects crop yields, livestock productivity, food transportation and manufacturing. Impacts at every stage are rising food prices. Without action, one study estimates heatwaves and floods alone could push UK food prices up 34 per cent by 2050, with the lowest-income households hit hardest.
We set out what the government must do to respond: beginning with setting national adaptation targets for the food system, and establishing a new Food System Resilience Task Force, to drive coordinated action and make healthy diets affordable for more people.
