Civil food resilience in a polycrisis era: Tim Lang’s call to action at IFST Autumn Conference 2025

At the IFST Autumn Conference 2025, held at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham on 7 October, Professor Tim Lang – Professor Emeritus of Food Policy at City St George’s, University of London – delivered a powerful and provocative keynote on the precarious state of the UK’s food system.

Drawing from his “Just in Case” report, published by the UK’s National Preparedness Commission in February 2025, Lang challenged delegates to rethink resilience, redefine efficiency, and reimagine the role of community in food security.

“131 hubs feed the country. That’s not alarmist – it’s reality”
Lang opened with a stark warning about the concentration of food distribution infrastructure in the UK. “The country’s fed from just 131 distribution hubs,” he said. “If you think this is alarmist, don’t – it’s not alarmist at all. It’s the reality.”

He described these hubs as “narrow choke points” that could be easily disrupted by cyberattacks, drone strikes, or natural disasters.

Referencing a decades-old study commissioned by MOD and Defra, Lang emphasised how little has changed: “We’ve built vulnerability into the system through 60 years of greed, software, knowledge, science, technical application and engineering.”

“The internet of things is also the internet of warfare”
Lang’s keynote explored the intersection of digital infrastructure and food resilience. “We’ve all said, ‘Isn’t this wonderful?’ about the Internet of Things,” he noted. “But it’s actually the form of warfare.”

He warned that most of the UK’s digital infrastructure is cable-based, not satellite-based, and therefore highly susceptible to disruption.

He urged attendees to consider how software failures could cascade into food crises: “What would happen in a really major shock, when your young people reach for their phones? They’ll go down. We know that.”

“Be very careful how you use the term ‘resilience’”
Lang offered a multidisciplinary lens on resilience, drawing from architecture, ecology, and social psychology. “I trained originally as a social psychologist,” he said. “We looked for decades post-Second World War at traumatised children. You’ve got to nurture and help and develop – maybe over 10, 15, 20 years. Maybe never. They will bounce back in a different sort of way.”

He cautioned against simplistic interpretations: “Whatever science you’re in, be very clear what you mean by resilience.”

“It’s community, stupid”
Lang’s most emphatic message was about the role of local infrastructure and civil society. “The key thing my interviewees said: it’s community, stupid,” he declared.

He described conversations with food banks and retailers about repurposing facilities for emergency food storage and emphasised the need for public engagement: “Are you going to feed other people? Are you going to share it? What would that look like?”

He also critiqued official emergency guidance: “Store a few bottles of water? You use 137 litres per person per day. Three bottles? Is it for washing your hands? Cooking? Drinking?”

“Public trust in the food supply is going down”
Lang highlighted declining public confidence in food systems, citing recent Cabinet Office surveys. “They mostly get their information from social media,” he said. “Is that really good for science and data and evidence? Not particularly.”

He called for trusted institutions – like IFST, the Faculty of Public Health, and the Royal College of GPs – to collaborate on public education and risk communication.

“Food shocks will be change-makers”
Lang concluded with a challenge to the audience: “Will coming food shocks be change makers? The answer is yes. So what can you contribute to that?”

He urged delegates to move beyond tweaking the system and instead embrace transformative change.

“I haven’t found anyone yet really wanting to do anything other than maybe tweak it a bit,” he said. “If you apply that to whatever you do, you might be contributing to making Britain wake up.”