Sales of bottled water, canned food, and hand sanitiser jumped in the 10 days after the U.K. government launched its "Be Ready" emergency-preparedness campaign on Oct. 22, retail data show, the BBC reported. Hand sanitiser sales were up 83%, bottled water rose 67%, and tinned and jarred goods climbed 37%, according to Worldpanel by Numerator. The campaign encouraged people to keep three days' worth of food and water at home in case severe weather or cyberattacks disrupted essential services. It also recommended wet wipes, a torch, and cash. Worldpanel said households were stockpiling essentials, but not panic buying.
After the launch, the equivalent of an extra 400,000 people a day bought tinned meat, the firm said, though the typical amount remained 500 grams, a sign of gradual stocking-up rather than trolley-filling. "Shoppers clearly took notice of the 'Be Ready' campaign, but this wasn't panic buying, with less than a third of households buying bottled water in October," said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel. "Growth came from more people adding the recommended items on the government's checklist to their weekly shop, not from shoppers piling their trolleys high, which is very much in line with what the government wanted households to do."
Sales of tinned and jarred goods rose from £58.2 million in the 10 days to Nov. 2, 2025, to £79.5 million over the same period in 2026. Bottled water sales jumped from £13.6 million to £22.8 million, and hand sanitiser climbed from £497,000 to £908,000. Food firm Princes said on Tuesday that demand for tinned tuna, meat, and vegetables had risen after the campaign. Interim chief executive Giuseppe Mastrolia said the jump "further reinforces the relevance of our core categories in providing affordable, nutritious and convenient food solutions." Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said everyone should have "those supplies in the house to get you through those moments."
Disaster recovery expert Lucy Easthope has previously told the BBC that the UK was playing "massive catch up" to countries including France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Some experts argue that the government, not only households, should take responsibility for food stockpiling. In October, more than 180 experts signed an open letter to Burnham and First Secretary Louise Haigh calling for local authorities to have a duty to prevent and respond to food-supply emergencies. They noted a government survey finding that 29% of people in the UK could not afford to keep a few days' worth of food in the house. The verified result is a measured rise in checklist items after a public campaign, alongside a warning that not every household can afford to follow it.