News

The UK's six organic certification bodies will be recognised by the EU for 12 months following the end of the Brexit transition period, it has been announced.  Members of the European Commission have given their approval in recognising the UK's organic certification standards.

Unless equivalency between the UK and EU is established via a Trade Deal before the end of 2020, acceptance of organic products from GB will be on the basis of individual approval of UK certifiers under European Commission (EC) regulation EC1235/2008. All UK certifiers now have this approval. 

All operators along the UK supply chain will need to be issued certification by a certifier who holds approval under EC1235/2008 for the relevant product category. Although the majority of certifiers are approved until the end of 2021, Soil Association Certification approval is valid until the end of 2023.

From 1st January 2021, the UK is expected to work to an organic regulation based on the current EU organic regulation (EC834/2007). Although the EU will move to a new EU Organic Regulation in 2022 (EC848/2018) it is anticipated that UK certifiers will continue to apply the existing EU regulation (EC834/2007) for minimum of three years.

Source - Soil Association: https://www.soilassociation.org/certification/preparing-your-organic-business-for-brexit/exporting-after-brexit/

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has today secured an agreement for a continuity trade deal with “friend and ally” Canada.

Today’s agreement to rollover provisions of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) gives certainty for UK businesses exporting goods and services to Canada worth £11.4 billion. It will support the British automotive manufacturing and food and drink industries which between them provide jobs for more than half a million people across the UK.

The benefits locked in under the agreement reached today include:

• Tariff-free trade on 98% of goods that can be exported to Canada including beef, fish and seafood and soft drinks. 
• UK producers will continue to benefit from zero tariffs on many agricultural and seafood exports including chocolate, confectionary, fruit and vegetables, bread, pastries and fish. Last year the UK exported £344m worth of agri-food goods to Canada.

Click here to read the full article

Source: www.gov.uk

Published on 21 November 2020

DIT North America is curating specific category boxes for dissemination to grocery retail buyers in the USA and Canada, and are collecting expressions of interest from UK suppliers currently doing business in the US, Canada or both, who would like to participate in this project. 

Products included in this initiative must already have existing distribution in the US and/or Canadian markets so that they are eligible for retail listing consideration.

Through this initiative DIT hopes to keep UK Food & Drink top of mind with buyers; demonstrate that the UK remains open for business, highlight some key innovation and trends across the category; bring greater profile to new brands or new SKUs; and educate the target audience about the strengths of the UK food and drink sector. Please note, this project is not intended to replace or compete with the retail product pitching that in-market reps are conducting, it’s meant to enhance it with a strong country of origin proposition halo, as is done at the GREAT-branded pavilions under normal circumstances at tradeshows. 

There will be three category boxes:

1. Ambient healthy snacking products (for both countries)
2. Refrigerated cheese products (for US only)
3. Non-alcoholic beverages (for Canada only)

The assortment for the Canadian and US boxes may need to vary somewhat to address market availability. Expressions of interest are welcome from producers that already have distribution in the market but might not yet have exposure to certain retailers.  

Deadline for submissions is 6 November. DIT North America will select the final assortment of products and contact those selected by 13 November, at which point more information around timelines and logistics will be shared.

Please click here to complete the form: https://dituk.wufoo.com/forms/p3vb29v0in869c/ *Completing this form registers interest only and does not confirm participation.

The FDEA, Food and Drink Federation (FDF), and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) have come together to support the recovery of UK food and drink exports and update the Five Steps to Success guide to help businesses successfully navigate the export process and signpost a range of support that can help.  Key terms are explained, questions answered and support offered through five simple steps, concluding with an overview of useful contacts
Download a copy here

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the exports of food and drink in the first half of 2020, with exports falling for the first time since  2015.  Exports fell by 13.8% to £9.7bn, as both exports to EU and non-EU markets declined.  Exports to the EU (-14.5%) decreased at a faster rate than those to non-EU markets (-12.6%).

Read full details at www.fdf.org.uk
Download the summary (pdf)

The first shipments of UK beef are to depart for the USA today (30th September), marking a historic moment for UK farmers and food producers.

Following the USA’s longstanding ban on EU beef – introduced in the wake of the BSE outbreak in 1996 – market access for UK beef was granted in March 2020. UK beef producers now have access to the US market for the first time in over 20 years.

Today’s news means the sector can now begin to reap the economic benefits of trade with the US – with industry estimating beef exports will be worth £66 million over the next five years.

Read more at www.gov.uk

The Government has launched a series of webinars on exporting products of animal origin from 1 January 2021, including health certificates, health ID marks and labelling. Places are limited on each one, so you are advised to book now online via www.gov.uk

The US tariffs on $7.5bn worth of goods as part of the ongoing Airbus dispute have been reviewed with changes  effective from 1 September.

Sweet biscuits will now be exempt following the latest review.  Britain’s gin industry was spared tariffs that the US had included on a list of potential targets.  New tariffs were imposed on jams from France and Germany.  Duties on Single Malt Scotch Whisky remain.

Flipkart Group, India’s homegrown e-commerce group, has announced the launch of Flipkart Wholesale, a new digital marketplace that will help transform India’s retail sector through the consumer e-commerce segment and technology for the country’s mom-and-pop “kirana” grocery stores and other small retailers.

Kiranas and MSMEs are central to India’s retail sector, with around 12 million kirana stores serving neighborhoods throughout the country. Flipkart Wholesale will focus on meeting their needs by providing a wide product selection at significant value, powered by technology to make their lives easier. Businesses will have one-stop access to an extensive selection of products, supplemented with data-driven recommendations for stock selection, delivered through a fast and reliable network to drive greater efficiencies and better margins.

Read more at:
https://internationalsupermarketnews.com/walmarts-majority-owned-flipkart-launches-wholesale-business/

July has seen Whole Foods open a new store in Washington, D.C. and it's 14th store in New York City at Manhattan West.

For 40 years, Whole Foods Market has been the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer. As the first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s rigorous quality standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners, as well as over 100 colours, flavours and preservatives commonly found in food.