Climate Impacts on UK Food Inequalities: A Rapid Evidence Assessment

Descriptions

Food inequalities are disparities in people's ability to obtain food. Food inequality is prevalent worldwide, affecting approximately 1.2 billion people. The effects of food inequalities are unevenly distributed across populations. Climate-related shocks will further exacerbate these effects, and any associated health consequences. The Climate Change Committee's third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) remarked that higher UK food prices are an increasingly likely impact of climate change. Climate-related yield loss or reduction and climate-related disruptions to supply chains will affect market prices for food commodities and products, which are transmitted and amplified through trade relations. The UK imports roughly 40% of its food and so is exposed to this risk through both domestic and international climate impacts. Food prices can also increase due to climate-related increases to the cost of inputs, such as energy, feed and fertilisers. Volatility in food prices resulting from climate disruption is expected to increase existing food inequalities. Price rises disproportionately affect those living in poverty in the UK; evidence shows the poorest households already spend a higher proportion of their income on food compared to higher earning households. Recent research by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit found that around a third of food price inflation in 2023 was as a result of climate change. Across 2022 and 2023, climate costs increased the annual average food bill by £361 per household. This Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) will update and expand Defra's understanding of the evidence for climate change impacts on food inequalities in the UK.