Food and Drink Manufacturing Sector Deal Proposal
Building on its Industrial Strategy Green Paper response, FDF has been working
on detailed
Sector Deal proposals which we hope will transform the sector's future growth
potential and ensure
the UK continues to be home for leading food and drink manufacturers.
UK export statistics
FDF publishes quarterly reports outlining the latest UK food and drink export
statistics, which can
help your company to prioritise markets for exporting. Our reports cover the
following:
- Data on the UK's top product exports,
- Key destinations,
- Potential growth areas,
- and updates on FDF's policy work.
You can view our reports on
the Exports statistics page.
Food and Drink Sector Council Exports Group
In January 2018, the Food and Drink Sector Council was established to act for
the entire food
chain.
The Sector Council is a formal industry partnership with Government created to
improve the
productivity and sustainability of the UK food and drink industry.
Among the Council's priorities are:
- agricultural productivity,
- nutrition,
- workforce and skills,
- innovation,
- logistics,
- packaging
- and finally, exports.
For each of these priorities, working groups have been set up which will drive
activities and policy
recommendations in these areas and feed into the Sector Council. The export
group is being led by
Graham Hutcheon, Managing Director Edrington.
For more information on the group's vision/objectives, group members and key
milestones, see the FDSC Exports Core
Group webpage.
Food and Drink Sector Deal Proposal
Building on its Industrial Strategy Green Paper response, FDF has been working
on detailed
Sector Deal proposals which we hope will transform the sector's future growth
potential and ensure
the UK continues to be home for leading food and drink manufacturers. Read more on FDF's
Sector Deal proposals.
Exports
While exports in UK food and drink have been experiencing rapid growth, the
sector faces some
unique challenges.
To fully take advantage of growth opportunities and drive a step-change in UK
food and drink
exports, there is a need for a new Government and Industry partnership.
We propose three key actions that would work together to enhance export volumes
and values
for business of all sizes:
- Food and Drink Export Portal a website that acts as a focal point
for F&D
exports.
- Signposting existing export information and support
- Promotion of Department for International Trade (DIT) export opportunities
- Highlighting missions / events
- Promoting sector-specific guidance
- Building a directory of exporters to inform export support and priorities
- A Market Research Unit that produces market and sector
intelligence reports
which will address market failure in the provision of market research to
support
export prioritisation.
- Market Access Assistance to put in place food and drink sector
specialists in
markets that offer the greatest opportunity for growth but are difficult
markets
for businesses to
access. Initial priority markets would be China, India, Japan, USA and the
Gulf.
FDF/FDEA Growth through Exports guide
This 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
7,290 business to export.
The guide provides useful information and tips on how food and drink
manufacturers can begin
exporting to foreign markets.
View the FDF / FDEA Growth through Export guide.
Research
FDF continues to conduct research around its key policy areas. Exports has been
identified as a
key area when considering our sector's economic contribution and growth
opportunities going
forward.
View: The food and
drink industry – Economic contribution and growth opportunities
View: Growth
opportunity: Trade
Innovation
The UK has a strong R&D base for food and drink manufacturing driven by high
class
multinational organisations choosing to locate in the UK. However, more than
nine in ten of food and
drink businesses are SMEs. Limited resources and uncertainty with short-term
retail contracts can
make financing of automation technology extremely difficult for food and drink
SMEs and in turn
hinders improvements in productivity.
We are therefore proposing to establish a network of demonstrator sites, based
on already
existing Centres of Excellence for Food and Drink Manufacturing*.
Food and drink businesses will benefit from consultancy support focused on
identifying
productivity improvements which will allow more businesses to find and
understand solutions,
removing the associated risk of technology investment. Providing a physical
space for the
demonstration of technology with further build the confidence of industry.
* National Centre for Food Manufacturing at the University of Lincoln, National
Centre of
Excellence for Food Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University and The
Manufacturing Technology
Centre in Coventry
Next Steps
The Sector Deal proposal has been submitted to the Department for Business,
Energy and
Industrial Strategy (BEIS). If successful a period of negotiation will take
place to define scope and co-
investment.
Food and
Drink Sector Council
FDF response to the BEIS Industrial Strategy Green
Paper Consultation
For more information about this work, please contact: tanya.barringer@fdf.org.uk