Food supply chains are expected to be hit by the heatwave rampaging through Europe
Major UK supermarkets have written to Andy Burnham warning that Britain's food supply is under serious threat as heatwaves and devastating wildfires sweep across Europe.
The letter, coordinated by the Food Foundation charity, carries the signatures of Tesco, Sainsbury's and Co-op alongside major food producers Greencore and Danone.
Charitable organisations such as Barnardo's, Amnesty International UK, and WWF-UK have also lent their support.
The businesses highlight that the country is becoming increasingly reliant on imported fruit and vegetables while domestic production declines.
Wildfires have torn through France, Spain and Portugal this summer, destroying crops, as Britain itself has endured scorching temperatures.
The letter stated: "The next food shock is not a question of if, but when. To meet it prepared, food has to stop being an afterthought for the Government."
According to the letter, the UK faces three interconnected crises simultaneously. First, the nation's food supply remains vulnerable to ever more frequent disruptions caused by environmental disasters and geopolitical instability.
Second, food costs are climbing far faster than household earnings, squeezing consumers across the country.
Third, health problems linked to poor diet are worsening. The signatories drew particular attention to childhood obesity, emphasising the vital role that access to fresh fruit and vegetables plays in maintaining a nutritious diet.
The poorest households are bearing the brunt, finding it hardest to put fresh produce on the table.
Anna Taylor, the Food Foundation's executive director, warned that the UK food system is "dangerously exposed to shocks far beyond our borders".
She added that British farmers are also finding it increasingly difficult to stay afloat, with rising input costs such as fertiliser and extreme weather battering harvests.
Sainsbury's chief executive Simon Roberts explained: "Recent weeks have shown just how much pressure our food system is under. We need a more resilient food system that attracts investment, backs British farmers and helps keep affordable, nutritious food on tables across the nation."
Andrew Selley, who leads foodservice wholesaler Bidfood, said: "As a foodservice wholesaler, we're all too familiar with the risks and challenges of resilient food supply, from our network of UK fruit and vegetable growers who are dealing firsthand with all the challenges outlined in this letter, to the price increases that are experienced by both our public and private sector customers."
The signatories are now pushing for the introduction of a "good food bill" that would establish legally binding commitments on several fronts.
Among the proposed targets are measurable reductions in childhood obesity rates and a significant increase in the share of fruit and vegetables cultivated domestically.
