Government and food industry go for growth

31 January 2012

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt Hon Danny Alexander MP, today joined food and drink manufacturers and members of the All-Party Parliamentary Food and Drink Manufacturing Group to discuss industry's '2020Vision' to deliver 20% sustainable growth by 2020.

Following last week's launch of the Government-backed Farming, Food and Drink Exports Action Plan to boost exports of British food and drink to high growth markets, today's event sought to find other ways to unlock food and drink manufacturers' potential to deliver sustainable growth. 2

Top of the agenda were key industry issues including Britain's R&D capability, demand for British brands in developing export markets, reform of the tax system and the impending skills shortage. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury led the discussion, highlighting Government's work to support the industry in these vital areas.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt Hon Danny Alexander MP, said: “The food and drink industry has shown great resilience and adaptability in recent years. This Coalition Government is keen to support the future success of the industry by creating the right conditions for the sector to thrive.”

Jim Moseley, FDF President and Managing Director of General Mills UK, said: “UK manufacturers are determined to maximize their contribution to UK recovery and deliver sustainable growth. It is clear that we can achieve this with the right entrepreneurial approach from food businesses and the right regulatory framework from government.”

John Stevenson MP, All-Party Parliamentary Food and Drink Manufacturing Group Chair, said:

“Food and drink manufacturing in the UK is a Great British success story, making a significant contribution to employment, growing GDP, and producing iconic brands for the home and export markets. As the largest manufacturing sector, it is important that parliamentarians find ways to facilitate growth for the future.”

Notes:

1. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), the voice of the UK food and drink manufacturing industry, the largest manufacturing sector, launched its '2020 Vision' ambition in December 2011 in partnership with Government department's BIS and Defra.

2. Food and drink contributes substantially to the UK economy and has scope to grow further, with recent figures showing that exports for the nine months Jan – Sept 2011 exceeded exports for the same period in 2010 by 12.2%. (HMRC data)

Findings from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and Grant Thornton's 'Sustainable Growth in the Food and Drink Manufacturing Industry' report3, published in December 2011, highlighted a number of growth drivers including export opportunities in developing nations and growth in value and Health & Wellness product categories, for example.

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