Food and Drink represents the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, larger than aerospace and automotive combined. Employing more than 400,000 people, it makes a huge contribution to the economy. The first half of 2017 saw food & drink industry grow by 8.5% on the same period last year, a record for the industry.
Last year, total food and drink export figures were worth more than £20 billion, which is 10.5% higher than 2015, with demand rising in each of the UK’s top 20 Markets.
British beer is the 3rd most valuable food and drink export. Over 1.05 million pints of beer were exported from UK brewers, worth just short of £600 million. The volume of beer exported has more than quadrupled in twenty years. The Scotch whisky industry continues to expand its sales globally, growing to £1,8195 million in the first half of this year.
The main recipients of UK food and drink exports continue to be mature markets such as the USA, Canada and the EU. However, the largest growth was seen in South Korea (+77%), China (+35%), and Belgium (+39%).
The beverage and liquid foods industries are well catered for at the drinktec family of events, held in Munich, China and India. A variety of products for bakers and confectioners in hospitality, catering and retail are on show every three years in Munich at iba – the World Market for Baking, and annually at Bakery China in Shanghai.
Associations:
BFBi – Brewing, Food & Beverage Industry Suppliers Association – http://www.bfbi.org.uk/
FDR – Food and Drink Federation – http://www.fdf.org.uk/
FDEA – Food and Drink Exporters Association – http://www.ukfdea.com/