THREE years ago, France ran out of mustard.

Due to severe drought in Canada where mustard seeds are grown, and alternative supply chains cut off by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, French consumers were subject to rationing: limited to one jar of Maille or Amore per week.

This may not seem a disaster, but anyone who has been to France will be aware of the central importance of Dijon to French cuisine – even a small supermarket will carry an entire wall of varieties and brands.

Sudden scarcity forced people to rewrite recipes that had been in their family for decades.

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This demonstrates what environmental activists have been warning for decades: the climate crisis will force lifestyle changes on each and all of us.

In a recent miniseries for The Rest is Politics podcast, former MP Caroline Lucas pointed out that food insecurity in Britain – both dependence on imports, and storage facilities being few in number and ‘sitting ducks’ to drone attacks – is such that a life-threatening scarcity could arise by the end of the decade.

As it is 2026, we are........

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