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Exports

There is no better time than now for food and drink manufacturers to focus on growing exports.

If you don't believe us then take a look at some of the success stories of our members.

Below is some useful information on where to go to find export help and what FDF is doing to support its members and the industry to export more.

UK export statistics

FDF publishes an annual report on the food and drink export performance of the UK. Food and Drink exports is one of the great stories for the UK and a great way to highlight the strength of our industry over the last few years.

You can view our reports on the Exports statistics page.

Annual summary

• Headline data indicates a modest increase in UK food and drink exports, up 2.5% (y-o-y) to £22.6bn in 2018, compared to growth of 9.7% in 2017.
• Export growth to EU markets was positive (+4.3%), whilst exports to non- EU markets declined slightly over 2018 (-0.3%), raising the EU share of exports to 61.4%. Although there has been a fall in exports to the UK's non-EU trading partners, three of the top 20 non-EU markets have shown growth rates exceeding 10% (China, Australia, and Singapore).
• Positively, the food and drink trade deficit narrowed by 1.4% in 2018, standing at -£24.0bn, which is £348.0m smaller than the same period in 2017.
• As shown in Figure 1, the overall value of exports has nearly doubled over the past decade, from £13.3bn in 2008 to £22.6bn last year.
• Beer and salmon have reported consistent negative growth in 2018. This fall in salmon was mainly driven by the US (overall drop of £55bn, or 8,718 tonnes), and was closely followed by France, which saw a 6,406 tonne drop in salmon imports from the UK.
• On the other hand, whisky, chocolate, and cheese, the UK's top 3 food and drink exports, have all shown growth over 2018 in volume and value. Notably, chocolate and cheese both saw faster growth in export volume over 2018 compared with 2017.

Read more about how FDF is supporting food and drink exporters

Find out about our Five Steps to Food and Drink Exporting Success developed by FDF and Food and Drink Exporters Association (FDEA).

Last reviewed: 16 Mar 2020