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.
FDF/FDEA Growth through Exports guide
Growth through Exports - Five Steps to Food and Drink Exporting Success has
been
developed by FDF and Food and Drink Exporters Association (FDEA) as part of an
enhanced partnership to help more of Britain's 6,500 business to export.
The guide provides useful information and tips on how food and drink
manufacturers can begin exporting to foreign markets including details of
necessary
research, and how to create exporting opportunities and useful contacts.
As part of FDF's 20/20 vision for
growth which looks
to see economic input from
Food and Drink manufacturers increase by 20% between 2010-2020, FDF have set an
ambition to grow value-added food and drink exports by a third to achieve a
total
value of £6 billion by 2020.
Regular joint activity and promotions between FDF
and FDEA will be a key strand of FDF's efforts to achieve that ambition, with a
networking reception at Food and Drink Expo 2016, hosted by UKTI, being the
first
in a series of events.
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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.
Full year 2017 exports: Executive summary
- Full year 2017 exports of food and drink exceeded £22bn, up 9.7% on 2016.
- Overall exports to EU markets (+ 10.3%) of food and drink outperformed those to
non-EU markets
(+ 8.9%), bringing total EU exports to £13.3bn and its overall share to
60.2%.
- The top 5 export markets contributed to over 50% of our total food and drink
export value, while
the top 20 markets in the chart below contributed to 80% of total value.
- Exports of branded goods saw growth of 12.1% to £5.8bn compared to 2016,
with the
fastest growth reported to non-EU markets (+ 16.6%).
- The food and drink trade deficit increased by 7.4% in 2017.
- Over the past 10 years from 2007 to 2017 food and drink exports have grown by
93%, with an
average annual growth rate of 7%.
- Despite continued strength in UK food and drink exports to non-EU markets over
the past 20
years, the UK currently lags behind EU counterparts with a lower share of
overall EU28 exports to
non-EU countries of the larger EU nations.
View report: UK food and drink export
statistics 2017
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UK Food and Drink: International Action Plan
In October 2013 UKTI and Defra launched the 'UK Food and Drink: International Action Plan' which FDF contributed to. The action
plan sets out overarching targets
to:
- Grow food and drink exports by £1bn by 2015
- Provide support to help 1,000 more food and drink businesses to start exporting.
A new action plan is due soon and will be used to continue the promotion of UKTI
services with additional support from industry. It will also be used by UKTI
regional offices as promotional
material to attract overseas buyers. As well as carrying out export activities
as
part of the strategy FDF will continue to assist Government to raise awareness
of
the action plan across the industry.
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UK Trade and Investment (UKTI)
FDF works closely with UKTI, the Government Department responsible for working
with businesses to
boost exports and grow inward investment. As part of this relationship we work
closely with the UKTI food and drink team and the Department for the
Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to promote export opportunities and grow UK food
and drink exports. UKTI supports FDF's close relationship with FDEA and the
GREAT
British Food Unit, saying "Working collaboratively with industry will enable
government to increase industry exports and deliver further opportunities for
the food
and drink sector."
Exporting is GREAT
UKTI offers a number of
services
for food and drink businesses no matter what stage they are in their export
journey. Their Exporting is GREAT campaign is designed to encourage new and
existing exporters and a perfect place to start for businesses looking to start
or
expand their export remit.
UKTI Regional Trade Advisors
- The first port of call for any food and drink manufacturer new to export is to
speak to a food and drink specialist International Trade Advisor (ITA) within
UKTI.
- If your business is new to export we advise you contact your regional UKTI
office and speak to a regional trade advisor.
- These contacts can explain all of UKTI's services and which would suit your
business as well as providing on-going support and key information. Click here
to
view the contact details of all of the regional trade offices.
UKTI provide subsidies for SMEs under some of their support programmes. Why not
investigate and look to build contacts in these high growth markets for food
and
drink.
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Export Britain
Export Britain is the online resource
by the British Chambers of Commerce which showcases opportunities in key international
markets, and links UK
exporters to support available from British Chambers and business groups both
in the
UK and around the world.
Export Britain helps businesses to make new connections overseas by drawing on
the power of the international UK business network of British Chambers and
business groups.
The site also helps growing and prospective exporters navigate through the
export journey by signposting the support available every step of the way.
Additionally, Export Britain provides information on export training and
documentation,
events and trade missions, and inspiring case studies featuring successful UK
exporters.
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Open to Export
Open to Export is an online community
helping UK businesses get ready to sell overseas. Backed
by Government and business, it is a not for profit social enterprise dedicated
to helping UK companies grow through export.
It is a free service providing:
- Guides and articles giving advice and insights into each stage of the
export journey
- Webinar programme which gives insights and practical guidance on
different topics on a monthly
basis
- Export Action Plan – a tool to help exporters assess their readiness
and their first steps to export
- Ask the Experts forum in which exporters can ask questions to our
community of experts and receive
answers to any of their export questions
EU SME Centre
The
EU SME Centre is a European Union initiative that provides a comprehensive
range of hands-on support services to European small and medium-sized
enterprises
(SMEs), getting them ready to do business in China.
A team of experts provide advice and support in four areas – business
development, law, standards and conformity and human resources. Collaborating
with
external experts worldwide, the Centre converts valuable knowledge and
experience into
practical business tools and services easily accessible online. From first-line
advice to in-depth technical solutions
To gain full access to the Centre's services, simply sign up here to create an account.
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Last reviewed: 31 Jan 2018