Food and nutrition security during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of food and nutrition security and sustainable food systems for the UK. This study, led by Dr Mike Rivington from the James Hutton Institute, with support from Chatham House and Cranfield University, seeks to assess how the UK food system is responding to COVID-19. It aims to identify points of vulnerability, and to use scenarios to examine how land use and management responses to COVID-19 could impact UK sustainability goals. The changes being considered include diet change, closer alignment of UK food production to UK demand, reduced reliance on imported animal feed, and greater use of agroecological practices and new technologies. We will also review lessons learned from the pandemic for adapting the food system to help achieve climate change and biodiversity goals.