Heatwaves are becoming a more significant factor for the UK food and drink supply chain, influencing everything from crop yields and livestock productivity to factory cooling requirements and ingredient sourcing.

The impact has been particularly visible during summer 2026. The UK experienced its fifth heatwave of the summer in August, with the temperature provisionally reaching 38.1°C at Kew Gardens on 13 August. The Met Office described it as the fifth-hottest day on record for the UK.

By 10 August, 71.3% of England had entered drought, following the driest July in 190 years. Reservoir levels had fallen to 69%, while more than 27 million people were living under restrictions on water use.

The longer-term evidence points in the same direction. The Met Office’s State of the UK Climate 2025 report found that 2025 was the warmest year recorded in the UK series, which began in 1884. It also concluded that temperature extremes have become more frequent and intense over recent decades.

The Government has acknowledged the pressure the heatwave and drought are placing on farming, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham chairing an emergency Cobra meeting on 12 August as ministers considered further support for the sector.

Defra Water Minister Emma Hardy commented: “We know how challenging this summer has been, especially for our hard-working farmers who are at the sharp end of climate change and an increasing number of floods and droughts.”

Here are four ways increasingly frequent heatwaves could change UK food production.

1. Greater variation in the availability and quality of ingredients

Heat and water stress can reduce crop yields, affect quality and make harvest volumes more difficult to predict. The effects vary depending on the crop, its stage of development and the timing and duration of the hot weather.

In summer 2026, farmers reported some of their earliest harvests in 20 years. Defra said poor yields were being recorded in key crops in some areas, while growers were struggling to keep fruit and vegetables irrigated.

NFU Deputy President Paul Tompkins said the situation was “increasingly concerning”, adding: “Many farmers have completed the earliest harvest on record, with poor yields in key crops reported in some areas of the country.”

The NFU’s early assessment of the 2026 harvest found considerable variation between crops, regions and soil types. Some early wheat crops delivered strong grain quality but below-average yields, illustrating why appearance or quality alone may not provide a complete picture of availability.

For manufacturers, this variability could affect ingredient prices, specifications and processing performance. Changes in moisture content, size or composition can influence consistency as well as overall supply. Businesses may need stronger relationships with growers, more flexible specifications and alternative sourcing options for climate-sensitive ingredients.

2. More pressure on livestock, dairy and animal feed supplies

High temperatures can cause livestock to eat less and experience changes in growth, fertility, productivity and welfare.

The effects have become apparent in the dairy sector during summer 2026. AHDB estimates that daily milk deliveries fell by 3.2% year on year in July, with volumes during the week ending 1 August down by 4.5%. AHDB identified heat stress as a leading factor, alongside drought-related pressure on forage production.

The NFU said hot and dry weather had severely restricted grass growth and diminished pasture quality. Many dairy and livestock farmers were consequently feeding winter forage and supplementary feed during the summer, creating concerns about shortages and higher costs later in the year.

The Met Office’s assessment of climate impacts on the UK food system says extreme heat during summer 2022 reduced chicken meat production by 9%. It projects that, without sufficient adaptation, beef cattle in south-west England could experience between five and 20 heat-stress days per year by the middle of the century, compared with approximately one historically.

Meat and dairy processors may therefore need to plan for greater variation in farm output. Investment in shade, ventilation, cooling, water provision and heat monitoring will become increasingly important throughout livestock supply chains.

3. Water and temperature management will become bigger priorities

Prolonged heat increases demand for irrigation, cleaning, cooling and animal drinking water while reducing the amount available in rivers, reservoirs and soils.

By 10 August 2026, there were 1,534 irrigation restrictions in place in East Anglia. More than 300 abstractors were in the process of being required to reduce the amount of water they could take from rivers by 50%, while others had been required to stop abstraction because of exceptionally low flows.

The NFU has called for more responsive abstraction licensing, a risk register for vulnerable agricultural businesses and a more straightforward planning system for on-farm reservoirs. Tompkins said treating water for food as a strategic priority would help protect crops, livestock businesses and the UK’s long-term food security.

Manufacturers will also need to examine water efficiency across cleaning, processing and cooling operations. Factories, warehouses and distribution networks face the additional challenge of maintaining safe temperatures as ambient conditions rise. Refrigeration and ventilation equipment may have to work harder, increasing energy use and the risk of equipment failure.

Additional monitoring, preventive maintenance, backup power and contingency arrangements with logistics and cold-storage providers could therefore become more important parts of business planning.

4. Heatwaves could reshape what the UK grows and how manufacturers source it

Climate change could alter which crops and varieties are commercially viable in different parts of the country.

The NFU has called for investment in crop varieties with greater drought, disease and yield resilience. Growers may also adjust planting and harvesting dates, improve soil water retention or spread risk across a wider mix of crops and cultivars.

Protected cultivation and indoor growing systems could provide controlled conditions for certain ingredients, although their cost and energy requirements will remain important considerations.

Manufacturers may consequently need to collaborate more closely with plant breeders, farmers and ingredient suppliers. Product development teams could be asked to test alternative varieties or reformulate products around ingredients that can be produced more reliably under changing conditions.

Sourcing strategies will also need to look beyond a simple choice between British and imported ingredients. Heatwaves and droughts in overseas growing regions can coincide with difficult conditions at home, as demonstrated across the UK and mainland Europe in summer 2026. Diversifying suppliers across several regions, while supporting resilience among domestic producers, may offer greater protection than relying heavily on any single source.

More frequent heatwaves will not affect every part of UK food production in the same way. However, the experience of summer 2026 demonstrates that ingredient variability, animal heat stress, water pressure and rising cooling requirements are becoming long-term considerations for food and drink manufacturers.

The businesses best placed to respond will be those that build climate resilience into sourcing, product development and capital investment before the next period of extreme weather.