George Monbiot on our fragile food system

In this episode of Today in Focus, host Noshia Nikbal interviews renowned Guardian columnist George Monbiot on the escalating threat to global food security posed by the ongoing war in Iran. Monbiot warns that the conflict is exposing the extreme fragility of the world’s food system, which relies heavily on a few choke points—like the Strait of Hormuz—for the transport of fertilizers, much of which comes from Gulf nations. With over 30% of global nitrate and 50% of sulfur fertilizer originating in the region, any disruption could trigger a cascade of price spikes and shortages, especially devastating for vulnerable nations in Africa and South Asia. Monbiot draws a stark parallel between the current food system and the global financial system before 2008: both have lost resilience through corporate consolidation, just-in-time logistics, lack of redundancy, and weakened regulation. He argues that the system is now on a knife edge, with no fallbacks and no ability to 'bail out' food like money. Even without a total collapse, localized famines—like those already unfolding in Sudan and Gaza—are likely to worsen. The UK, while better off due to its economic strength, remains dangerously unprepared, with no strategic food reserves and a diet dependent on imported animal feed. Monbiot calls for urgent government action: building national food reserves, diversifying food sources and crops, breaking up corporate monopolies, promoting plant-based diets, and investing in alternative proteins like microbial fermentation. He emphasizes that individual stockpiling, while personally prudent, is not a solution—only systemic, state-led intervention can prevent catastrophe. The episode ends on a note of urgent hope: change is still possible, but only if governments finally listen to the warnings that have been ignored for years.