Sales of tinned food and bottled water rise after 'Be Ready' campaign

UK households have been buying more long-life products since the government launched its "Be Ready" campaign. According to BBC News, sales of tinned food, bottled water and items such as hand sanitiser have risen.

What the campaign is about

The campaign is run by the Cabinet Office. The government published the new advice on 22 October 2026. It is meant to help people prepare for situations in which everyday services are briefly disrupted, for example when severe weather affects power, water or the internet.

The "Be Ready" checklist recommends keeping supplies at home for three days, because during that time help goes first to those who need it most. The list includes:

• bottled water, with 3 litres per person per day for drinking, and more needed for cooking and washing;
• long-life food that needs no refrigeration or cooking, such as tinned meat, fish and vegetables, dried fruit and nuts;
• hygiene products: hand sanitiser, wet wipes and bathroom items;
• food and water for pets.

The government notes that people do not need to get everything at once. Supplies can be built up gradually, by picking up an item or two at a time.

Rising demand

The Polish daily Rzeczpospolita wrote on 3 November 2026 about a jump in sales of tinned food, bottled water, torches and wind-up radios. According to that article, Josh Pringle, co-founder of the online shop Sgt Prepper, said traffic at his business was 10 to 15 times higher than usual during one recent weekend. Customers mostly chose wind-up radios and long-life food. The paper added that photos of empty shelves had circulated on social media. It also reported that the retailer Aldi sees growing interest in such products in Poland as well.

We have no data on the scale of the increase across the UK, or on which retailers and products are most affected. Such figures should come from the full BBC report.

What this means for you

The government's advice applies to all households in the UK. The full list and tips, for example on power cuts, are on the Be Ready campaign website. The government encourages calm, gradual preparation rather than one-off bulk buying.