Food Security

Securing Food Supplies

An ever expanding world population is confronting us with ever more challenges to ensure there are adequate food supplies.  It’s a major global concern. 

The rising prices of staple foods in recent times have brought this issue into sharp focus.  Wales has a clear advantage:  we are ideally suited to providing an increasing variety of food products, and can help reduce the UK's dependence on imports, since in contrast to other parts of the UK, much of the produce from Wales is distributed throughout the country and beyond. 

Securing food supplies for the nation will have to be done in the face of changing patterns of consumption and the impact of climate change.  Clearly, we cannot act alone on these matters.
 

Global Food Security Programme

Wales is a partner and contributor to the Global Food Security Programme, a multi-agency programme which co-ordinates food security related research across governments in the UK and the UK Research Councils.  The world's population is expected to increase by 50% by 2050, emphasising the need to improve all aspects of sustainable food production using existing land resources.
 

Responding to the challenges

Wales is well placed to respond to food security challenges.  Through 'Towards Sustainable Growth:  An Action Plan for the Food and Drink Industry 2014-2020'  we shall be working closely with food security and food safety stakeholders to sustain the food production base in Wales, thereby protecting consumers.  This will be part of the Food and Drink Wales Industry Board's remit.