UK survey finds reported three-day no-cook food supplies fell to 60%
The Cabinet Office published its second national preparedness survey. Sixty percent reported roughly three days of non-perishable food requiring no cooking, compared with 66% in 2025.
Fieldwork ran from 27 February to 11 May 2026. The report also finds that 29% cited insufficient money as a barrier to further preparation, while 23% said they lacked knowledge about what to do.
What changed
A new evidence release about reported preparedness, not a revised recommendation or evidence that an emergency is imminent.
Who this is for
People evaluating household readiness and officials designing public preparedness communications.
What the official guidance says
- Distinguish food requiring cooking from ready-to-eat supplies.
- Do not compare measures whose question wording changed.
Dates & context
These are self-reported survey findings. The report explicitly permits the no-cook-food comparison, but warns that grab-bag and bottled-water questions cannot be directly compared across the two years.
Read the original sources
Nations Prepare provides an independent original summary. Follow current local authority instructions in an emergency.