UK relies on heat-stressed countries for fruit and veg it could grow itself – report — SkimNews
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- Food Foundation report warns the UK faces food price shock risk because 18 of its top 20 suppliers of healthy staple foods are rated moderately to severely vulnerable to climate breakdown, per the IPCC's outlook for those regions
- UK has one of the lowest food self-sufficiency ratios in western Europe, importing roughly 40% of all food — including 80% of fruit and 47% of vegetables — a higher import reliance than France, Germany, or Spain
- Five fruits — apples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and pears — can be grown domestically, yet the UK produces less than 40% of domestic consumption for four of them
- Carrots are the only vegetable meeting high UK self-sufficiency at 94%, while tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, cucumbers, onions, broccoli, and green beans are only about half domestically produced
- Horticulture businesses, especially glasshouse growers, are cutting production because energy costs run higher than in neighboring European countries, compounded by labor shortages, poor weather, and post-Brexit subsidy changes
- Anna Taylor, Food Foundation executive director, urged government action now to prevent nutritious foods becoming 'further out of reach for many' as climate impacts drive up prices
Why it matters: The UK imports 80% of its fruit from regions the IPCC flags for severe climate-driven yield declines, yet grows less than 40% domestically for four of those fruits. Anna Taylor's warning that nutritious food could become unaffordable for many Britons gives ministers a concrete deadline: the forthcoming horticulture sector growth plan is where energy costs, seasonal worker access, and water policy could be addressed.
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