Empty Store Shelves Spur Brits to Grow Their Own Vegetables

Grocery store shelves stripped of essentials and rationing of food delivery slots have brought the sustainability of U.K. supplies into sharp focus. Countries worldwide announcing nationwide lockdowns and workers falling ill or being forced to self-isolate have raised questions about where Britain’s produce comes from and who gets it to the supermarkets.

Over half of the U.K.’s food is produced by suppliers within the country, helping to lessen the impact of any potential disruption to shipping from overseas. Even so, the country is still reliant on the European Union -- where some nations have been severely hit by the pandemic -- for over a quarter of what it does import.