Britain is facing a “slow-burning” food security crisis, the former head of GCHQ has warned.
Sir David Omand said that UK governments should seek to prepare in the event of a food shock, as he spoke during an event alongside professor of food policy Tim Lang and broadcaster Adam Fleming at The Hay Festival in Wales.
The Independent has partnered with the festival in 2025 for the second year in a row.
“If you go on the web, you’ll find the government’s national risk register. It has 89 separate items - all of which are acute crises, ranging from pandemics to floods,” he told the audience.
“What it doesn’t know is the slowly burning crises that at some point will burst into flames - and food is one of those.
“It’s politically awkward for the government to admit there’s a slow-burning crisis because you’re sort of implying that some of it took place while you were in office and you didn’t act when you should have.”
He added that while Britain was largely good at dealing with “emergencies” his worry is about these “slow-burning crises”, adding that the government should put a “smart group of people who are really thinking ahead” on these issues in the centre of government.
He spoke alongside Professor Tim Lang, author of Feeding Britain and Emeritus professor of food policy, at City University London's Centre for Food Policy.
Mr Lang highlighted the question of how prepared both the government and ordinary people in Britain would be in the event of a food shock.
His latest report, titled Just in Case, urges Britain to “prepare, share and care”.
He also highlighted the importance of local organisations when it came to food security.
Hay Festival, which is spread over 11 days, is set in Hay-on-Wye, the idyllic and picturesque “Town of Books”. The lineup includes Mary Trump, Michael Sheen, Jameela Jamil, and more.
The Independent has partnered with the festival once again to host a series of morning panels titled “The News Review”, where our journalists will explore current affairs with leading figures from politics, science, the arts and comedy every morning.
