UK faces tough choices as global demand for food rises

28 January 2008

The UK must make critical policy choices to secure its food supply in the face of increasing demand on global producers, says a new paper published today by Chatham House. Constraints on the availability of energy, water and land point to the need for sustainable management of global resources.

The paper reports a growing consensus that the recent rise in global food commodity prices is more than just a short term blip and that GM foods may need to become more widely accepted as producers struggle to meet demand. The use of land for energy production could also result in moral dilemmas.

Read UK food supply: Storm clouds on the horizon?

Note to editors:
Throughout 2008, Chatham House's work on food supply will be testing the responses of the UK's industry to international developments. Today's report is the result of a first series of interviews and discussions undertaken around Britain's wheat and dairy supply networks.

For further information please contact:
Sean Armstrong
Press Officer
Direct: +44 (0) 20 7957 5739
Mobile: +44 (0) 78 4985 3757
Email: Sean Armstrong

More about this project: UK Food Supply in the 21st Century: The New Dynamic

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