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2016 Export Statistics

UK food and drink export statistics 2016

In this report:

Key indicators

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Branded goods

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Executive summary

  • Full year 2016 exports of food and drink exceeded £20bn for the first time, up 10.5% on 2015
  • Full year 2016 exports of food and non-alcoholic drink hit record levels of almost £14bn, up 11.8% on 2015
  • Exports of branded goods saw growth of 11.5% to £5.2bn compared to 2015
  • Exports to non-EU markets (+ 15.6%) of food and non-alcoholic drink out-performed EU markets (+ 10.4%), however the EU buys 71.4% of the total by value
  • The food and drink trade deficit increased by 5.7% in 2016
  • UK products were exported to a record 217 international markets in 2016, five more than in 2015

What happened throughout 2016?

  • The UK economy grew by 2% in 2016, down from 2.2% in 2015
  • GDP increased by 1.9% across the EU28
  • Food and drink exports were stronger at the end of the year, with Q4 2016 up 24% on Q1 2016
  • Demand was up in every single one of the UK's top 20 markets in 2016
  • The sharp fall in the value of sterling following the vote to leave the EU has made UK exports more competitive overseas
  • We expect to see the full impact of weaker sterling filtering through in H1 2017 as companies negotiate new sales agreements
  • Strong export growth in 2016 has been supported by the collective efforts of industry and Government to promote UK food and drink overseas

Top 10 products

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Top 20 markets

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UK food and drink exports

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FDF Ambition

  • FDF's industry ambition is to grow exports of branded food and non-alcoholic drink by a third, from a 2014 baseline, reaching £6bn by 2020
  • With 2016 branded goods exports already reaching £5.2bn, overall growth is on track to reach our target by 2020 with both non-EU and EU exports having increased over the year

Branded Exports

  • Exports of branded food and non-alcoholic drink continued to grow in 2016, up 11.5% on 2015, with growth in each of the top 15 markets
  • Together the top 5 markets buy over 50% of UK branded food and non-alcoholic drink, seeing combined growth of 8.6%
  • The % share of UK exports to the EU fell from 69.3% in 2015 to 67.5% in 2015 as sales to non-EU markets grew faster than to the EU
  • The majority of branded exports were made up of food preparations, meat, fish and dairy products
  • The US was the largest non-EU market for branded UK food and non-alcoholic drink, up 24% in the year to £197.1m

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Chinese Appetite for UK Branded Goods Grows

  • China was the fastest growing market in the UK's top 20, up 51.1% (y-o-y) to £439.5m China's appetite for branded food and nonalcoholic drink has risen by 50% in 2016 to £84.7m
  • China is highlighted as a priority export market in the joint Government-Industry International Action Plan for Food and Drink
  • We've seen a growing interest in UK afternoon tea (scones, jam, tea, sandwiches and cakes) in China linked to the popularity of programmes such as Downton Abbey and the Great British Bake Off
  • This has boosted UK exports of 'afternoon tea' including cakes, tea, milk and spring water to China in 2016: tea (+63%), milk powder (+134%), cakes (+26%), spring water (+139%)

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More information

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Download Exports snapshot 2016

View export case studies


Last reviewed: 21 Feb 2017