British government ‘complacent about food as a national security matter’

Academics, business leaders, community groups and food partnerships are urging the government to treat food as a national security issue. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

Britain does not have a plan for how to feed people in a crisis and is unprepared for potential future food shortages, according to a warning from more than 150 experts delivered to Andy Burnham.

The climate crisis, geopolitical shocks, cyber-attacks and energy outages are among the threats to food chain security, according to the open letter, which claims the government is “complacent about food as a national security matter”.