The Food and Drink Federation

Before Christmas, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Food and Drink had its Inaugural General Meeting (IGM) and is now officially on the All-Party Register! 🎉 Mike Reader MP was elected as Chair of the Group, with Amanda Hack MP, Baroness Anne McIntosh of Pickering and Baroness Blower as the officers. Food and drink is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, and the group will be promoting dialogue and discussion through wide-ranging policy roundtables, events and visits to food and drink manufacturing sites. The group looks forward to collaborating with partners across the food and drink supply chain and within Parliament to address key challenges, driving investment and growth in the sector. If you are interested in future events of the APPG, please do follow this page or get in touch with the group's secretariat at The Food and Drink Federation at parliament@fdf.org.uk.

Happy New Year! The Food and Drink Federation, FDF Scotland and FDF Cymru teams are very much looking forward to the year ahead. Working with our members and partners, we have much to do to continue our work to ensure food and drink manufacturing - ✔#invests and grows, and prospers and thrives across the UK, ✔ contributing to variety and choice in the food and drink available to everyone, everywhere, at affordable prices, and ✔ to skilled and resilient communities up and down the country, ✔ as well as to UK #foodsecurity. ✔ Alongside working as far as we can to help everyone to make healthier choices in what they eat and drink, ✔ helping our members, including through #Ambition2030, to continue to progress towards #netzero, the #circulareconomy, #sustainablecommodities, #naturerestoration and tackling #foodwaste, and ✔ refocusing on building #trade and #exports. ✔ We're also looking forward to continuing our work with Department for Business and Trade and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in particular to ensure food and drink manufacturing is central to #economicgrowth in the #IndustrialStrategy, the #TradeStrategy and a full part of the new #FoodStrategy. ✔ As well as with partners in The Scottish Government and Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government, and in FoodDrinkEurope. Thank you to all our members, parliamentarians, Ministers and other partners with whom we've worked over the past year - it's been a real pleasure. We're looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together in 2025!

Our latest trade snapshot has uncovered that the US remains the UK’s third largest export market – and we’ve sold 460 million cups of tea and 436 million biscuits to the US already this year. However, with overall food and drink export figures at a decline, maintaining strong relationships with this important trading partner is key for food and drink exporters. How can we deliver this? We’ve laid out some suggestions in our trade report, read more: https://lnkd.in/efZ9tjrs

Happy New Year from all of us at the FDF! We are excited for the upcoming year and continuing our work to be the voice for the UK’s vibrant, resilient and diverse food and drink manufacturing industry. Wishing all our followers, members and stakeholders a prosperous 2025! 🎇

Over the last few years, we’ve noted the necessity of driving investment in the food and drink sector, to ensure our sector thrives and is productive. Our latest State of Industry report revealed that uncertainty regarding legislation, has proven to be a limitation for businesses to further invest. Read the full report here: https://ow.ly/PtlP50Uw6fb

We’d like to wish all our followers, members and stakeholders a very Merry Christmas! 🎄 We hope you have a joyful and peaceful break!✨

We welcome Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' clarification of EPR fees ahead of the scheme coming into force next October. Our Director of Corporate Affairs and Packaging Jim Bligh, was featured on the Times Radio Breakfast show this morning, discussing EPR and the positive impact it could have on recycling in the UK. To listen to the full interview, visit: https://lnkd.in/eATDRRam

Today we released our latest trade snapshot, revealing that food and drink exports have continued to fall in over the last quarter of 2024. Exports in the first nine months of 2024 were down 10.2% to £16.3bn, driven by a sharp drop in alcohol sales. The figures in the report highlight the challenges that UK food and drink businesses continue to face when selling their products abroad. This is particularly challenging for smaller businesses, who struggle to overcome the administrative burdens of exporting. We urge the government to provide more support for SMEs, which inevitably will help the UK strengthen its international trade and maintain its position on the global stage. To read the full findings from our report, visit: https://ow.ly/hKZq50UuSMB

It’s great to see that CPTPP has now come into force for the UK. This new Free Trade Agreement will help remove bureaucracy for UK food & drink manufacturers as well as helping us access new markets. CPTPP will provide: 1. New market access to Malaysia. 2. Tariff reductions across several international markets. 3. Simpler and quicker customs procedures, which will extend the shelf life of perishable goods. 4. A single set of rules of origin and cumulation between CPTPP members, allowing easier access to preferential tariffs. 5. Future market access opportunities through further accession to the bloc.

Great news from our members Unilever, who are investing £40m into their Burton factory!   Our latest report with Newton has revealed that there’s a £14bn untapped growth opportunity for UK food and drink manufacturing that can be unlocked by driving industry investment like this. By removing needless barriers to business, we can boost innovation and economic growth across every region of the UK. Check out the report here: https://lnkd.in/esbcN9af