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.
Executive 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.
top
Last reviewed: 26 Jun 2019