Food sector vulnerable to emergencies, says study

Being lean and mean in the food and drink manufacturing sector might pay off in terms of profits, but the practice has left the supply chain vulnerable to a crisis, according to a UK government report.

The government-commissioned report concludes that the drive for efficiency and the just-in-time philosophy used by the industry has progressively reduced stock levels throughout the supply chain — with the resulting damage to its resilience when an emergency occurs.

The study highlights the need for processors to have business continuity mangement (BCM) plans in place to deal with emergencies such as livestock diseases, bird flu, or fuel shortages, as well as site-specific events such as natural disasters, product contamination or terrorist attacks.

The independent study was done by Cranfield University for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Food & Drink Europe