FOOD imports could come under further pressure as farmers producing supermarket staples in poorer nations are increasingly unable to work due to heat stress, experts have found.

Workers growing rice, coffee, tea and chocolate face worsening conditions as climate change drives record temperatures, according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

In a report released today, researchers said developing countries supplied 13 per cent of Britain’s food imports, worth £8.9 billion in 2025.

Farmers in the top 15 supplier countries lost 216 billion potential work hours in 2024 because of heat stress, nearly 49 working days per worker each year.

Pressure could intensify, with a warming El Nino this summer now 80 per cent likely, UN scientists say.

Shamika Mone, a rice farmer in India and president of the Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers, said: “To safeguard our food system, governments need to cut greenhouse gas emissions — including from fertiliser production — and get more climate finance direct to smallholders and their organisations so they can adapt.”

A government spokesperson said: “We will always protect the food security of this country,” pointing to investment in climate-resilient crops and new reservoirs.