Video

Why can't the UK solve food insecurity? Episode three

21-Mar-2023 - Last updated on 21-Mar-2023 at 16:33 GMT

Left to right: Bethan Grylls chats to Mike Wijnberg of Pilgrim's about how the manufacturer reinforces supply chain resilience and sustainability

In this third instalment of Food Manufacture's investigation into UK food security, sponsored by RSSL, Bethan Grylls meets with Mike Wijnberg, Group Technical Director for Pilgrim's Pride Ltd., to get the food manufacture's perspective.

In his interview, Wijnberg points out the fundamentals of food security - "availability of nutritious food" - whilst noting that although it sounds simple, it's a complex process that is "easier said than done".

He also flags the challenges that we are all facing, including importing and exporting red tape, rising costs and, of course, the added complication of delivering on sustainability goals.

"The situation we find ourselves in now is about looking at what our national degree of self-sufficiency is going to be as an industry - and getting clarity on that from government," he told our editor. He gave the pig sector as an example of how much we rely on other countries:"50% of all pig meat consumed in the UK is imported - we have a great dependency on that - and it's not just the meat, but also the feed that we import too."

Wijnberg also highlights the importance of collaboration in solving the obstacles we're up against and that everyone within the chain understands how the entire chain works: "It makes you more resilient and allows you to plan and innovate."