UK Government officials have urged households to stockpile 14 essential items following the latest cyber attack, which disrupted food suppliers across Europe this week. The attacks targeted software used by supermarkets and food suppliers, with some UK meat suppliers reporting their fridge systems began to defrost and one unit rose to 100C.
Defence Secretary's warning
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has been warning people in the UK to stockpile items for crises, whether cyber attacks, extreme weather or other unforeseeable events. He issued an urgent appeal urging people to prepare, cautioning that emergencies can strike at any moment. The UK Government this summer said it would soon publish a key plan on resilience and how the country will cope with major problems.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has also urged people to buy key items. When asked if the attack reinforces warnings from the Defence Secretary that people should stockpile, NCSC head Dr Richard Horne said: "Absolutely. And we saw criminal attacks last year impact retailers in the UK. We know it can happen, and we've seen it across Europe. We alert people. We intervene where we can. But, at the end of the day, it's your business. It's your charity. It's your life. You need to make the choice and choose wisely."
Essential emergency supplies
These are the core emergency items every household should consider keeping in an emergency kit:
- Paper copy of important contact numbers, to communicate with others even without mobile devices.
- Mobile phone charger and portable power bank, so you can keep in communication.
- Cash for essentials such as food or fuel, in case of a cyber attack or power cut stopping card payments.
- Torch and spare batteries, in case of a power cut.
- Battery-powered or wind-up radio, so you can access information during a power cut.
- Essential medication and copies of prescriptions if needed.
- Basic first aid kit.
- Hand sanitiser and wet wipes, to maintain basic hygiene.
- Three days' supply of drinking water, in case a power cut, drought or flood disrupts the water supply.
- Three days' supply of long-life or ready-to-eat food.
- Tin opener.
- Copies of important documents stored in a waterproof bag, in case of electrical devices not being available or originals destroyed in a flood or fire.
- Pen and paper, in case anything needs to be recorded.
- Spare home and car keys, in case these are lost in the emergency.
Resilience planning and attacks
Streeting said recently: "I think we do need to have a national conversation about our resilience as a country and our preparedness. And before we turn to that scenario you described of an event where this country is under attack, I would actually say let's think about resilience today. We've just had a summer of wildfires across the country. Lots of communities across the UK will be looking to winter with trepidation about extremely cold weather or flood. And I'd ask people watching actually on a really practical level, in the event you have a power cut, would you know where you keep a torch? Have you even got matches or candles?"
The NCSC annual report said its incident management team received 1,831 reports this year of cyber attacks, of which 337 required support and 80 were nationally significant. The team also warned 8,500 organisations their systems had been compromised by attackers.
The UK has endured a series of crises in recent times, including wildfires, droughts, and dangerously hot heatwaves, and there is growing worry over foreign cyber or other 'hybrid' attacks on infrastructure. There are also serious issues with oil currently as the Saudi main company halts some deliveries to Europe after attacks on key pipelines, and with the Middle East conflict severely hampering tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a new parliamentary question, Tory David Reed asked the Minister for the Cabinet Office: "With reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 14 July 2026 on National Resilience, on what date the national resilience public awareness campaign will launch?" Replying, Dan Jarvis, Minister of State (Security Minister), said: "The household resilience public information campaign announced through the Annual Statement on National Resilience is being developed by the Cabinet Office and will launch later this year."
Liberal Democrat Adam Dance asked the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: "What steps she is taking to improve engagement with local resilience forums on food resilience in the (a) South West and (b) UK?" Minister Stephen Morgan replied: "Defra engages with Local Resilience Forums across England, including those in the South West, through established resilience and planning arrangements. This engagement supports information sharing, preparedness and response planning for a range of risks that could affect food supply and access. This Government continues to work with resilience partners at national and local level to maintain the UK's food resilience."
In a statement earlier this year, Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, announced the key Resilience Action Plan, saying it was needed as: "Conflict in the Middle East and Russia's war in Ukraine have exposed the vulnerabilities in global energy supply chains and driven up energy prices, and the increasing sophistication and proliferation of artificial intelligence not only brings huge opportunities, but threats too if it is weaponised by criminals against us. This could include novel ways of developing or carrying out hostile cyber-attacks against businesses and our critical infrastructure. As we saw with temperatures across the UK breaking records in May, only to be exceeded again in June, the risks we face from climate change cannot be underestimated, from our infrastructure, food and water systems or people's immediate health. Climate change is also exacerbating the spread of high-consequence infectious diseases, alongside the changing boundaries of the human-animal interface."
