Preparing plans for civil food resilience in the East Midlands

Representatives from Nottingham Trent University, the University of Nottingham, the University of Derby, regional government, councils, food partnerships and community organisations met on 14 July. The workshop focused on civil food resilience in the East Midlands and was hosted by the University of Derby.

The event followed a report by Professor Tim Lang for the National Preparedness Commission (NPC). The report highlighted vulnerabilities in the UK’s food system and identified a lack of robust national food resilience planning.

Funded by the East Midlands Combined County Authority and led by the universities in Nottingham and Derby, the workshop explored how the region could respond to food supply disruptions. Workshop participants considered a range of potential scenarios that could affect supply chains.

The half-day session also examined which communities would be most affected by food shocks. Discussions covered existing assets that could support a response, examples of preparation work carried out elsewhere, and the data available to inform future planning.

Keynote speakers shared their knowledge and experience throughout the event. Chloe Smee of Sustainable Food Places discussed local approaches to civil food resilience across the UK. Chloe Masefield, coordinator of the Bwyd Powys Food Partnership, outlined the successful Civil Food Resilience initiative in Dyfed Powys, mid-Wales.

The project aims to bring together expertise and resources from across the region. Its goal is to develop coordinated responses to potential food shocks, emergencies and crises.

The first phase of the work will assess the feasibility of creating an East Midlands Food Asset Map. This resource would support local food resilience planning across the region. A second workshop is scheduled for December.