FDF Response to Welsh Government Food Manufacture, Service and Retail (FMSR) Plan
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June 2011
The Food and Drink Federation is the main trade association representing the UK
food and drink industry, the largest manufacturing sector in the UK.
We support
the Plan's emphasis on resource efficiency and its aim to build on the current
Courtauld Commitment by involving smaller retailers, local processors,
hospitality outlets etc in Wales alongside the larger companies.
In 2007 we
established
the FDF Five-fold Environmental Ambition to promote efficiency of resource use
within all our member companies, including those based in or with operations in
Wales, in the key areas of carbon, water, packaging, waste and transport - and
that
we broadened this ambition last year to extend our influence across the supply
chain and begin addressing wider issues such as sustainable sourcing and the
loss
of biodiversity.
However it is important to point out that there is no discrete "Welsh Market"
for food and drink and the goods supplied, in common with the rest of the UK,
are
sourced from a vast range of national and international suppliers. As a result,
the vast majority of packaging used within Wales (either for goods packaged in
Wales or goods already packaged elsewhere) is not sourced from Welsh packaging
companies and neither is it designed for use in any specific Welsh market.
Industry estimates suggest that less than 5% of the packaging used in Wales
is
"locally" manufactured. Accordingly, many of the initiatives described in the
Appraisal
will not have any significant influence on packaging utilised within Wales.
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