The Guardian view on food security: we have just-in-time, we need just-in-case | Editorial

What we know

Experts are warning that the UK is unprepared for crises. A refrigerator cyber-attack scare in France is the latest reminder of the risks What’s worrying French supermarket bosses should be prompting British ministers to action.

On Sunday, hackers forced up the temperatures of refrigerators in hundreds of food stores across France to as high as 50C, resulting in waste and fires. Beyond the immediate destruction and inconvenience, it raised the prospect of other malicious actors finding new ways to play havoc with the food chain.

Only weeks before, 150 experts together warned the British government that it does not have a plan to feed people in a crisis ­, and that the west is entering an era in which not only disruption but the weaponisation of food is a real possibility. “The public has been led to assume that food will simply be there,” they wrote.

“It may not be.” Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article?

If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here .