An urgent warning has been issued that Britain is likely to see a shortage of food in 2024.
According to experts the reasons for this will include global conflicts, transportation issues, and climate change.
Furthermore, at the end of next month, there will be new checks on food coming into the UK from the European Union, exacerbating the problems.
The announcement of potential shortages comes as the UK braces itself for the cost of living crisis to worsen when the temperatures fall and more people use their heating.
Speaking to the Telegraph about the potential food shortages, Queen’s University Belfast, Professor Chris Elliott, said fruit and vegetables would be the products most affected.
He explained: “My expectation is, as we’ve already seen in 2023 with some empty supermarket shelves for months, this will become more persistent as we go forward.
“It’ll be about affordability but also availability, and the likelihood of empty shelves, particularly fresh produce shelves, in 2024 is alarmingly high.”
Professor Elliott also said our food shortages could be affected by food security in other countries and slammed the government for not putting in a long-term plan.
Professor Elliott while the UK was “reasonably self-sufficient” in dairy, poultry, and eggs that these were now failing “as a result of the collapse of the food industry or sectors of the food industry”.
Professor Elliott’s warnings have been echoed by the Institute of Export & International Trade which also warned of “gaps in supermarket shelves” as businesses adjusted to the new rules.
In order to compensate for its reliance on other nation’s food, there have been growing calls for the UK to become more self-sufficient.
To this end, the National Farmer’s Union (NFU) have called for new targets for the production of British food. President Minette Batters said: “The Government has rightly legislated for targets on the environment, green energy and climate change. Food has to be given the same status.
In a statement on the matter, a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs said: “We produce 60 percent of all the food we need here in the UK – figures which have changed little over the last 20 years – and our farming reforms are designed to back British farmers and maintain domestic food production.
“We remain committed to implementing the full controls set out in the Border Target Operating Model, which will reduce the burden on businesses and protect our food supply chains.”
They added that the UK’s food chain could deal with disruption.
