Official Statistics

United Kingdom Food Security Report 2024: Glossary and Acronyms

Published 11 December 2024

Part of the United Kingdom Food Security Report 2024

Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 19 of the Agriculture Act 2020

© Crown copyright 2024

ISBN 978-1-5286-5232-2

Glossary

For definition of food security and its dimensions see Annex II.

Terms A to E

Agronomy

The science of farming, including the study of soil, plants, and animals, and ways to improve the production of food on farms (Cambridge Dictionary).

Anthropogenic

From human sources or human induced.

Antimicrobial

A substance that kills microorganisms such as bacteria or mould, or stops them from growing and causing disease (National Cancer Institute).

Arable

Arable farming land is used for, or is suitable for, growing crops (Arable)

Biofuels

Liquid fuels produced from renewable biological sources, including plants and algae. Biofuels offer a solution to one of the challenges of solar, wind, and other alternative energy sources (Department Of Energy Office of Science, 2024). 

Biomass

The total mass of living things in a particular area (Cambridge Dictionary). 

Blue water

Water from irrigation (rather than from rainfall). 

Brackish water

Brackish water is water that is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries (EEA).

Bulk shipping

Bulk Cargo is cargo that is shipped loosely and unpackaged in large quantities (as opposed to being shipped in packages or containers) (UPS).

Carcase balance

Making the best possible, sustainable use of every part of the carcase and ensuring that costs are balanced.

Controlled Environmental Horticulture

The cultivation of crops within indoor production systems where advanced technology allows precise control of the environment.

Cultivar

A plant variety that has been produced in cultivation by selective breeding.

Current price

The value of money before adjusting for inflation.

Demersal fish

Demersal fish inhabit the bottom of the ocean. Key demersal species fished by the UK fleet include cod and haddock.

Disease burden

The public health and financial burden on society caused by microbiological foodborne disease.

Disposable income

The amount of money that households have available for spending and saving after direct taxes, such as Income Tax, National Insurance and Council Tax, have been accounted for.

Drying signal

Chemical signals sent from the roots to the shoots of a plant when the soil is dry. These signals regulate physiology and cause guard cells to close pores in the leaves, stopping water vapor from escaping. 

Ecological status

An assessment of the change from natural state as a result of human activity. Bad ecological status refers to a severe change from natural state, poor refers to a major change, moderate refers to a moderate change, good refers to a slight change and high refers to a natural or almost natural state with no, or only minor evidence of distortion.

Economic reserve

Mineral (or “Ore”) Reserves are the smaller subset of Mineral Resources deemed economically viable for extraction. While Mineral Resources have potential economic value, the economic viability of extracting these minerals depends on factors such as market prices, extraction costs, and technological developments in metallurgy and processing. Reserves are the portion of Resources that can be realistically and economically mined based on location, quantity, grade, geological characteristics, and any other factor that impacts end product value (Resource Capital Funds). More information can be found on the USGS website here.

El Niño & La Niña

During normal conditions in the Pacific ocean, trade winds blow west along the equator, taking warm water from South America towards Asia. To replace that warm water, cold water rises from the depths — a process called upwelling. El Niño and La Niña are two opposing climate patterns that break these normal conditions. Scientists call these phenomena the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. During El Niño, trade winds weaken. Warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas (NOAA). During La Niña events, trade winds are even stronger than usual, pushing more warm water toward Asia. Off the west coast of the Americas, upwelling increases, bringing cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface (NOAA). 

Environment flow requirement

The amount of water needed to ensure that lakes and rivers don’t dry up.

Equivalised

The process of accounting for the fact that households with many members are likely to need a higher income, or have a higher household expenditure, to achieve the same standard of living as households with fewer members.

Eutrophication

Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to run-off from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life. Usually results in the depletion of dissolved oxygen.

EU-27

The 27 countries within the European Union, after the UK left the EU.

Terms F to J

Farrowing

The process by which a female pig gives birth.

Feed conversion ratio

The amount of meat or fish produced in kg from 1 kilogram of feed. Sometimes it is also expressed in the amount of energy, generally in kilojoules, that 1 kilogram of feed provides.

Fish landings

Landings represent aquatic animals that are caught and brought ashore for use. Discards are animals thrown back (alive or dead) into the sea after being caught during fishing activities (FishStat)

Foraging

Searching for food.

Fungicide

Pesticides that kill or prevent the growth of fungi and their spores (National Pesticide Information Center).

Futures price

Futures prices are agreed-upon prices in a contract between two parties for the sale and delivery of the asset (commodities) at a specific time in the future. These contracts are traded in financial markets and provide a daily track of global commodity prices.

Groundwater

Water found in an aquifer (an aquifer is a body of porous rock or sediment saturated with groundwater) (National Geographic).

Grubbed

Removed and disposed of all unwanted vegetative matter from underground, such as stumps, roots, buried logs, and other debris.

Heat stress

The damaging physical effects of too much heat.

Inputs

Any resources used to create goods and services.

Intensive farming practices

A way of producing large amounts of crops, by using chemicals and machines.

Invertebrate

Any animal that lacks a vertebral column, or backbone (Britannica).

Irrigation

The practice of supplying water to an area of land through pipes or channels so that crops will grow.

Just-in-case

An inventory strategy where companies keep large inventories on hand.

Just-in-time

Inventory management method in which goods are received from suppliers only as they are needed.

Terms K to O

Lodging

The permanent displacement of a stem (or part of a stem) from a vertical posture. Used in relation to crops.

Macronutrient

Nutrients that provide calories or energy and are required in large amounts to maintain body functions and carry out the activities of daily life.

Mangrove

Mangroves are a group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone (NOAA,2024).

Median

A measure of the average. The median is calculated by identifying the exact middle point in a set of observations. When the observations are ranked from lowest to highest, the median is the value in the exact middle of the observed values.

Micronutrient

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals needed by the body in very small amounts. However, their impact on a body’s health are critical, and deficiency in any of them can cause severe and even life-threatening conditions (WHO).

Monoculture

The cultivation or growth of a single crop or organism especially on agricultural or forest land (Merriam-Webster).

Natural capital

Natural capital can be defined as the world’s stocks of natural assets which include geology, soil, air, water and all living things (World Forum on Natural Capital).

Terms P to T

Pastoral farming

Pastoral farming refers to the rearing of animals, either for meat, or for animal by-products (dairy, eggs and wool) (Pastoral).

Pathogenic organism

A pathogenic organism is defined as any organism that can cause disease. Harmful pathogens are naturally present in the environment and our system of food regulation and controls aims to reduce the risk of food becoming contaminated with them in a way that may make us ill. However, it is not possible to remove this risk completely, so when an incident involving pathogens is reported, it is important that swift action is taken to identify the source and reduce any potential harm.

Pelagic fish

Fish that live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore.

Permanent meadows and pasture

Land used for livestock grazing typically for more than 5 years (FAO,2020). 

Precision agriculture

Precision agriculture (PA) is the science of improving crop yields and assisting management decisions using high technology sensor and analysis tools (Singh and others, 2020). 

Producer Price Index

The Producer Price Index (PPI) program measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output. The prices included in the PPI are from the first commercial transaction for many products and some services (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Production frontier

The combination of inputs that generate the maximum attainable output. It is reached when available inputs are used optimally. 

Prompted / Unprompted

In a prompted response, survey responses are collected by asking respondents to select, rank or score options from a pre-defined list. For example, asking ‘Do you have concerns about any of the following?’ and providing respondents with a list of potential concerns they can select. In an unprompted response, survey responses are collected from an open-ended question where a list of options is not provided and respondents can enter any text. For example, ‘What are your concerns about the food you eat?’.

Pulses

Pulses are the dry, edible seeds of plants in the legume family, including chickpeas, lentils, dry peas and beans.

Quintile

Any of five equal groups into which a population can be divided according to the distribution of values of a particular variable.

Real terms

The value of money after adjusting for inflation.

Recovery

The ability of the food system to return to desired outcomes following disruption. Food system examples include insurance to re-instate crops or physical infrastructure and emergency food distribution systems. This requires contingency planning and funding.

Red Tractor

Red Tractor is the UK’s largest food chain assurance scheme, setting standards and ensuring compliance at every stage of the chain, to reassure consumers that food is produced safely and responsibly.

Regional concentration

The location of a few, well-defined industrial sectors in a region.

Renewable water resource

The sum of internal renewable water resources (IRWR) and external renewable water resources (ERWR). IRWR include the long-term average annual flow of rivers and recharge of aquifers generated from endogenous precipitation. Double counting of surface water and groundwater resources is avoided by deducting the overlap from the sum of the surface water and groundwater resources (FAO). ERWR are the part of the country’s long-term average annual renewable water resources which are not generated in the country. It includes inflows from upstream countries (groundwater and surface water), and part of the water of border lakes and/or rivers (FAO).

Reorientation

Rejecting the food system outcomes status quo by accepting alternative food system outcomes.

Resilience

The ability to respond quickly to operational disruptions.

Robustness

The ability of the food system to resist disruptions to desired outcomes. Food system examples include developing more heat-tolerant crops, more diverse farming systems, strategic grain reserves and stronger food distribution infrastructure such as harbours or railways. This requires considerable political and financial investment.

Roots and Tubers

Root and tuber vegetables are the underground storage system of various plants found around the globe and include potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, and celery roots (celeriac).

Salinization

Salinization is the increase of salt concentration in soil and is, in most cases, caused by dissolved salts in the water supply. This supply of water can be caused by flooding of the land by seawater, seepage of seawater or brackish groundwater through the soil from below. 

Salt marsh

Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides (NOAA, 2024). 

Saltwater intrusion

The process by which saltwater infiltrates a coastal aquifer, leading to contamination of fresh groundwater (UNDRR,2011). 

Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measure

Rules, measures and regulations designed to protect human, animal and plant life and health, from risks arising from additives, contaminants, toxins or disease-causing organisms. They ensure food is safe for consumption (Sanitary and phytosanitary measures \ Access2Markets).

Scarcity-weighted blue water use

Scaling results by water availability to gain an understanding of water stress, rather than just water use.

Serogroup

A serogroup or serotype is a distinct variation within a species of bacteria or virus or among immune cells of different individuals.

Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs)

Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) describe a set of alternative plausible trajectories of societal development, which are based on hypotheses about which societal elements are the most important determinants of challenges to climate change mitigation and adaptation (CEH,2020).

Shiga toxin-producing E-coli O157 and non-O157

Escherichia coli is a type of bacteria that can be found in the intestines of animals and humans. Shiga-toxin producing E-coli are strains of the bacterium which produce Shiga toxin, which can cause illness in humans.

Smokie(s)

A smokie is a food prepared by the illegal process of blowtorching the fleece from the unskinned carcass of a sheep of goat.

Standard Labour Requirement (SLR)

For UK statistical purposes, farms are grouped into size categories based on their total Standard Labour Requirement (SLR). The total SLR for each farm business is calculated by multiplying its crop areas and livestock numbers by the associated SLR coefficients and then summing the results for all enterprises on the farm. This is then divided by 1900 to determine the number of standard labour requirements for the farm (i.e. 1 SLR is equivalent to 1900 hours).

Supply chain

The system and resources required to move a product or service from supplier to customer.

Surface water

Surface water refers to water that flows or rests on land and is open to the atmosphere, including lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds (Murphy and Ramsey, 2007).

Thematic analysis

Qualitative analysis of transcripts from structured interviews which were analysed for patterns of response (themes) using an inductive approach.

Terms U to Z

Vector

An insect or animal that carries a disease from one animal or plant to another (Cambridge Dictionary). 

Vernalisation

The cooling of a seed during germination to accelerate flowering when it is planted.

Wave

In a series of repeated surveys (for example a survey that is conducted once a year) each separate survey is referred to as a ‘wave’.

Zoonoses

An infectious or parasitic disease whose microbial or parasitic agents are naturally transmitted between humans and other animals (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2022).

Acronyms

Acronym	Full term
AA	Allergen Alert
AARR	Annual Average Rate of Reduction
ACS	Association of Convenience Stores
AHC	After Housing Costs
AI	Artificial Intelligence
ALC	Agricultural Land Classification
AMIS	Agricultural Market Information System
AN	Ammonium Nitrate
APHA	Animal Plant Health Authority
ASF	African Swine Fever
AUK	Agriculture in the United Kingdom
BCP	Border Control Post
BEIS	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
BHC	Before Housing Costs
BSE	Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
BTO	British Trust for Ornithology
BTOM	Border Target Operating Model
CAP	Common Agricultural Policy
CCA	Central Competent Authority
Cefas	Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
CHEMET	Chemical Meteorology
CMA	Competition and Markets Authority
CMC	Capacity Management Centre
CNI	Critical National Infrastructure
CO	Cabinet Office
CO2	Carbon Dioxide
CoE(s)	Centre(s) of Expertise
COICOP	Classification of Individual Consumption according to Purpose
COVID-19	Coronavirus disease 2019
CPI	Consumer Price Index
CPIH	Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs
CT	Counter Terrorism
CVM	Chained Volume Measures
DDOS	Distributed Denial of Service
DEC	Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli
Defra	Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs
DESNZ	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
DfE	Department for Education
DFT	Department for Transport
DHSC	Department for Health and Social Care
DNP	2,4-Dinitrophenol
DUKES	Digest of UK Energy Statistics
DWP	Department for Work and Pensions
E3C	Energy Emergency Executive Committee
EA	Environment Agency
ECOSS	Electronic Communication of Surveillance in Scotland
eFOSS	Electronic Foodborne and non-foodborne outbreak surveillance system
ERS	Expedited Return Scheme
ERS	Economic Research Service
EU	European Union
EWG	Eatwell Guide
F&Y2	Food and You 2 Survey
FAFA	Food Alert for Action
FAN	Food Authenticity Network
FAO	Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
FBI	Farm Business Income
FBO	Food Business Operator
FCELG	Food Chain Emergency Liaison Group
FCSA	Food Crime Strategic Assessment `
FDF	Food and Drink Federation
FDM	Food and Drink Manufacturing
FFD	Food Feed and Drink
FFV	Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
FH	Food Hygiene
FHIS	Food Hygiene Information Scheme
FHRS	Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
FHS	Food Hypersensitivity
FICR	Food Information for Consumers Regulation
FIES	Food Insecurity Experience Scale
FIIN	Food Industry Intelligence Network
FL	Food Law
FLCoP	Food Law Code of Practice
FLRS	Food Law Rating System
FNAO	Food not of animal origin
FoodSEqual	Food Systems Equality
FRIF	Food Resilience Industry Forum
FRS	Family Resources Survey
FS	Food Standards
FSA	Food Standards Agency
FSM	Free School Meals
FSS	Food Standards Scotland
FTE	Full Time Equivalent
FWB	Fusarium Wilt of Banana
FYE	Financial Year Ending
G7	Group of Seven
GBSF	Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services
GDP	Gross Domestic Product
GHG	Greenhouse Gas Emissions
GI	Gastrointestinal
GINs	Genetic Improvement Networks
GOHI-FS	Global One Health Index-Food Security
GRFC	Global Report on Food Crisis
GSCOP	Groceries Supply Code of Practice
GSFC	Government Secured Freight Capacity
GSS	Government Statistical Service
GVA	Gross Value Added
HAF	Holiday Activities and Food
HaFS	Hospitality and Food Service
HFSS	High Fat, Sugar or Salt
HGV	Heavy Good Vehicles
HHI	Herfindahl-Hirschman Index
HI	Herfindahl Index
HMRC	His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs
HRFNAO	High Risk Food not of animal origin
HSE	Health and Safety Executive
HUS	Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome
IEFT	Industrial Energy Transformation Fund
IFAN	Independent Food Aid Network
IFPRI	International Food Policy Research Institute
IFS	Institute for Fiscal Studies
IMT	Incident Management Team
INNS	Invasive Non-native Species
IPAFFS	Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System
IPCC	Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IPM	Intergrated Pest Management
ISAs	Information Sharing Agreements
JBS	Jose Batista Sobrinh
JIC	Just-in-case
JIT	Just-in-time
JNCC	Joint Nature Conservation Committee
K	Potash (Potassium salts used as fertilisers)
K2O	Potassium Oxide
Ktoe	Thousand tonnes of oil equivalent
LA	Local Authority
LAEMS	Local Authority Enforcement Monitoring System
LDN	Land Degradation Neutrality
LNG	Liquified Natural Gas
MENA	Middle East and North Africa
MIRCA2000	Monthly Irrigated and Rainfed Crop Areas around the year 2000
MOC	Manual for Official Controls
MoD	Ministry of Defence
MoJ	Ministry of Justice
MRL	Maximum Residues Limits
MtCO2e	Million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
Mtoe	Million tonnes of oil equivalent
N	Nitrogen
NCSC	National Cyber Security Centre
NDNS	National Diet and Nutrition Survey
NFCU	National Food Crime Unit
NHS	National Health Service
NoU	Number of Undernourished
NPI(s)	Non-pharmaceutical intervention(s)
NRR	National Risk Register
OCR	Official Control Regulations
OECD	Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OIE	World Organisation for Animal Health
ONS	Office for National Statistics
OOH	Owner Occupiers’ Housing Costs
OOH	Out of Home
OV(s)	Official Veterinarian(s)
P	Phosphorous
P2O5	Phosphorus pentoxide
PCBs	Polychlorinated biphenyls
PHA	Public Health Agency
PHE	Public Health England
PHS	Public Health Scotland
PHW	Public Health Wales
PID	Product Information Database
POAO	Products of animal origin
PoU	Prevalence of Undernourishment
PPDS	Pre-packed for Direct Sale
PPP	Purchasing Power Parity
PRiF	Pesticide Residues in Food
PRIN	Product Recall Information Notice
PSD	Production, Supply and Distribution
RCA	Root Cause Analysis
RCP	Residues Control Programme
RIS	Road Investment Strategy
RoRo	Roll on roll off
RSPB	Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
SACN	Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition
SDG	Sustainable Development Goal
SFCIU	Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit
SGSS	Second Generation Surveillance System
SMEs	Small and Medium Enterprises
SND	Scottish National Database
SOFI	State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
SOLAW	State of Land and Water
Spp.	species
SPS	Sanitary and phytosanitary
spvpm	seconds per vehicle per mile
SRN	Strategic Road Network
SSP	Shared Socioeconomic Pathway
SSPCA	Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
SST	Sea surface temperatures
STEC	Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157 (STEC O157)
TFP	Total Factor Productivity
TR4	Tropical Race 4
TUKFS-SPF	Transforming UK Food Systems – Strategic Priorities Fund
UK	United Kingdom
UKCP18	UK Climate Projections
UKHSA	UK Health Security Agency
UN	United Nations
UNCTAD	United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNEP	United Nations Environment Program
UPF	Ultra-processed Foods
USDA	United States Department of Agriculture
USGS	United States Geological Survey
VMD	Veterinary Medicines Directorate, part of Defra
VOCs	Volatile Organic Compounds
WBGT	Wet Bulb Globe Temperature
WCDA	Whitley Community Development Association
WFD	Water Framework Directive
WGS	Whole Genome Sequencing
WHO	World Health Organisation
WRAP	Waste and Resources Action Programme
WRI	World Resources Institute
WTO	World Trade Organisation

About the UK Food Security Report

The UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) sets out an analysis of statistical data relating to food security in the UK. It fulfils a duty under Part 2, Chapter 1 (Section 19) of the Agriculture Act 2020 to prepare and lay before Parliament at least once every three years “a report containing an analysis on statistical data relating to food security in the United Kingdom”.

The UKFSR examines past, current, and future trends relevant to food security to present a full and impartial analysis of UK food security. It draws on a broad range of published data from official, administrative, academic, intergovernmental and wider sources.

The UKFSR is intended as an independent evidence base to inform users rather than a policy or strategy. In practice this means that it provides government, Parliament, food chain stakeholders and the wider public with the data and analysis needed to monitor UK food security and develop effective responses to issues.

Contact and feedback

Enquiries to: foodsecurityreport@defra.gov.uk

You can also contact us via Twitter/X: @DefraStats

We want to understand the uses that readers make of this report. To help us ensure that future versions are better for you, please answer our short questionnaire to send us feedback.

What we will do with this data

Production team: Michael Archer, Lewis Bird, Jess Booth, Jane Brown, Rebecca Clutterbuck, Grant Davies, Simon Dixon, Nikita Driver, Tom George, Gayle Griffiths, Evangeline Hopper, Helen Jamieson, Ronald Kasoka, Matt Keating, Sarath Kizhakkoott, Gurjeevan Landa, Rachel Latham, David Lee, James LePage, Ian Lonsdale, Claire Manley (FSA), Eszter Palotai, Maria Prokopiou, Erica Pufall (FSA), Alexis Rampa, Lewis Ratcliffe, Leigh Riley, Karen Robertson (FSS), Danny Roff, William Ryle-Hodges, Daniel Scott, Chris Silwood, Swati Singh (FSA), Carine Valarche, Maisie Wilson, Isabella Worth

Acknowledgements

We are extremely grateful to the following for their expert contributions and guidance throughout the synthesis of this Report, helping to ensure it delivers a thorough analysis of a robust evidence base:

• Professor Angelina Sanderson Bellamy, University of the West of England Bristol

• Professor Tim Benton, Chatham House

• Dr Tom D. Breeze, University of Reading

• Dr Jonathan Brooks, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Exeter Business School

• Professor Katrina Campbell, Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast

• Professor Bob Doherty (Dean and Principal Investigator of FixOurFood), School for Business and Society, University of York

• Selvarani Elahi MBE, UK Deputy Government Chemist, LGC

• Dr Pete Falloon, Met Office/University of Bristol

• Professor Lynn Frewer, Centre for Rural Economy, Newcastle University

• Dr Kenisha Garnett, Cranfield University

• Professor Emeritus Peter J. Gregory, School of Agriculture, Policy & Development, University of Reading

• Dr Saher Hasnain, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford

• Alan Hayes, Strategic Advisor, Future Strategy

• Dr John Ingram, Food Systems Transformation Programme, University of Oxford

• Professor Peter Jackson, Institute for Sustainable Food, University of Sheffield

• Professor Alexandra Johnstone, The Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen

• Dr Hannah Lambie-Mumford, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield

• Dr Marta Lonnie, The Rowett Institute, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen

• Dr Rachel Loopstra, Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool

• Dr Katie McDermott, University of Leeds

• Dr Ian Noble, Chair of UK Food Sector Advisory Group – Innovate UK

• Dr Kelly Parsons, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge

• Dr Maddy Power (Assistant Professor), Wellcome Trust Research Fellow, Department of Health Sciences, University of York

• Dr Michelle Thomas, University of Reading

• Professor Carol Wagstaff, University of Reading

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