Hi Everyone I am on the call but cant access via Zoom. Peter James Branch Chair

try again please

What are the opportunities for UK Supply Chain during COVID-19?

Are there particular foods that will be in short supply in the coming months?

Hopefully Peter we can talk about some of these opportunities during the webinar

What, if anything, will NEVER return to the way it was before

Thank you all - this is really fascinating. UK growers are talking about shortages of people to pick produce - what ideas do you have of how we could help them?

Please explain more about dark stores?

Drak stores are where food is held in warehouses rather than retail stores so it is ordered digitally by consumers. We would think of this with Amazon depots.

Sorry dark…

Oh, thank you

The domestic preference angle is interesting for now and a post exit world. A few years ago I was involved in an MoJ tender for UK Prisons Food allowing bids from EU countries. However Ireland for their Prisons were able to impose a domestic preference by insisting all food delivered to Irish Prisons had to be provided from within a 50 mile radius. Another EU member with different interpretation and application of EU Procurement regs. Is this another opportunity for the UK?

We currently have a hybrid policy system where food is managed by the market with government framing those market conditions - now is an opportunity for us to discuss this balance between market and regulation and what we want as a community

Thank you all!! What do you think about considerations for development of gluten-free foods?

Lessons about how consumers react in a crisis (I think it was Louise who mentioned it) seems important for the future. These 'black swan' events give us demand insights that are impossible to get from analysis of normal seasonal and annual variation.

Thank you for your question Bill. There is work being done right now to ask the question how we change our traditional risk assessment methods to help us in addressing these Black Swans especially with supply chain shocks that have not been experienced before. How do we develop business continuity plans for Black Swans…

Alan, maybe this is an example of fear of shortage being more of a consumer driver than actual shortage.

I get a sense from the panel of supermarkets profiteering and the scaremongering and panic buying suiting them. Tesco's profits up by 25% since COVID-19 kicked off. Will this legacy hurt them?

@Peter_James. I believe it is revenue that is up 25% at Tesco, not profit. The effect on profit is far from clear as it has had big costs associated with this

Good point Bill. Scarcity drives up costs of transportation, storage etc..

CIPS is launching a digiltalisation of supply chain survey next week to see what businesses are doing

Thanks so much everyone, was really useful

Special thanks to the panel - really great to hear from and see you. Mega thanks from CIPS and local CIPS Cambridgeshire branch. Well done Pouria for organising

Use code CIPS Discount code CIPS20 on the Kogan Page website to get 20% off Samir's two books - from CIPS Bookshop Manager

Indeed Peter - can I echo your message. Brilliant work from the CIPS Branch and all the panellists - really interesting discussion and points here. Well done to you all. Look forward to the next one :-)

Thank you for all the questions in the chat.

Thank you all

Thanks ALl

Many thanks for your time today all. Very informative and well articulated.