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Industrial Strategy

The Government's Industrial Strategy sets out a long-term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. It sets out how to build a Britain fit for the future – helping businesses create better, higher-skilled jobs in every part of the UK.

The UK's food and drink manufacturing industry is strategically important to the UK – both to the economy and in ensuring the country's future food security. It has an important role to play in the Government's Industrial Strategy and offers significant opportunities to secure world-class status in productivity and higher-skilled jobs, as long as we secure the right EU Exit deal and counterbalance any uncertainty through an ambitious Sector Deal.

FDF's response to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper

In April 2017, FDF responded on behalf of its members to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) consultation on the Industrial Strategy Green Paper. FDF's submission was endorsed by a further 22 independent food and drink sector associations and provides a detailed food and drink industry perspective, that will need to be addressed to support the sustainability and growth potential of the industry in the long term.

At the heart of FDF's recommendations was our call to create a Food and Drink Sector Council. We were delighted when this was established in January 2018 with a remit to develop long-term, coherent thinking across Whitehall to ensure the UK's £112 billion food chain is fit for the 21st century.

UK Government's Industrial Strategy White Paper

In November 2017, the Government published its White Paper on Industrial Strategy: building a Britain fit for the future. The Government set out the following four Grand Challenges to the UK at the forefront of future industries:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Data Economy: put the UK at the forefront of data revolution
2. Future of Mobility: become a world leader in the way people, goods and services move
3. Clean Growth: maximise the advantages for UK industry from the global shift to clean growth
4. Ageing Society: harness the power of innovation to help meet the needs of an ageing society

The food and drink industry has a key role to play in delivering the Government's Industrial Strategy's Grand Challenges by investing in innovation, we will:

• Seek out the opportunity of £55.8 billion potential value over the next 10 years for the food and drink sector through enhanced engineering and digitalisation, as identified in the Made Smarter report.
• Continue to reduce the environmental impacts of the food and drink chain through optimum land use, effective energy and water use, intelligent supply and demand & waste management which will support the global shift to clean growth.
• Drive the UK to become a world leader in the way goods move, through targeted export support for more food and drink manufacturers.
• Become world leading at addressing the health and wellbeing needs of an ageing society – our sector has a proven track record of using innovation to support positive change regarding the impact of diet on health.

Food and Drink Sector Council

Food and Drink Manufacturing Sector Deal

For more information about this work, please contact caroline.keohane@fdf.org.uk