UK food security cannot be taken for granted in an increasingly chaotic world and central to this is the country's cold chain, according to the Cold Chain Federation (CCF).

Speaking at Cold Chain Live 2023, a conference for the temperature-controlled storage and distribution sector, CCF president Paul Bennell said: “It is striking that our country has started talking again about food security.

“We proved in Covid that we have a resilient food supply chain, even when tested in the extreme. But the disruption resulting from Covid, post-Brexit changes, interruptions to global supply chains, labour shortages and the energy crisis have rightly brought into focus that we can’t just take UK food security for granted.”

Bennell spoke just days after the government announced it would host a summit to discuss global food security.

Leading experts will come together to tackle the causes of food insecurity and malnutrition, including through UK-funded science and technology, at the event in London on 20 November.

Bennell added: “Looking to the months and years ahead, as geopolitical unrest and an environment of inflation continue while the effects of climate change become increasingly evident, as a nation we need to prioritise resilience and prepare for food supply chain challenges.

“There is no food security, in any form, without the UK cold chain. Our nation needs a robust and competitive temperature-controlled supply chain infrastructure, working within a positive and constructive policy environment that enables and encourages cold chain operators to invest for the future.”

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