Unwrapping the food industry
The UK food and drink sector is a great British success story. It is a high
value manufacturing sector offering world class capabilities in areas of
production,
logistics, sales, marketing and innovation – which combine to create annual
Gross Value Added of £21.8bn.
With the food security debate racing up the political agenda, it's worth
remembering that a strong UK manufacturing base has a key strategic role in
providing
resilience in the food chain.
Food and drink manufacturers buy three-quarters
of
what UK farmers produce. Without us they would lack a ready market for their
products and be less able to exploit their comparative advantage in the face of
the
challenges posed by climate change.
Did you know that:
- Our sector is the UK's biggest manufacturing sector, employing 440,000 people
directly and indirectly accounting for a further 1.2 million jobs in the food
chain. That's the equivalent to almost 2,500 jobs in every Parliamentary
constituency.
- We are an incredibly diverse sector: there are 7,000 businesses – the
overwhelming majority of which are small or medium-sized enterprises – together
generating
£72.8bn of turnover.
- Our industry accounts for 15% of the UK's total manufacturing output and is the
fourth largest food and drink manufacturing industry in Europe.
- The UK industry is highly innovative – spending £350m on R&D and launching
8,000
new products every year.
- Despite the credit crunch, our exports continue to grow. We export more than
£9bn worth of food and non-alcoholic beverages every year – the majority
processed
in some way – with Europe a key destination for our products.
More information