News

A collective of more than 30 organisations from across the UK’s food and drink supply chain have today published A Recipe for Growth, Prosperity and Sustainability: the UK Food and Drink Industry’s Plan for Success, a call-to-action for governments to support and champion the UK’s largest industry.   FDEA is pleased to be a part of this plan to support the aim of looking to Government for co-investment to support proposals to drive export growth and innovation.

Download a copy here

There have been reports in the press regarding a study citing that 60% of meat will be grown in vats or made from plant based products which taste like meat by year 2040. 

Read the full story from The Guardian here

The Department for Internal Trade has created four informative videos that help answer industry queries on tariffs:

• Tariffs: what happens if we leave the EU with no deal?
• What is a Tariff Rate Quota?
• What is a tariff? 
• Tariffs: what happens if we leave the EU with no deal? 

Food and drink exports increased by 2.5% to £22.6bn from January to December 2018, when compared to the same period in 2017. This growth rate is approximately a quarter of the growth rate seen in 2017, when food and drink exports rose 9.7% compared to 2016

Exports of branded goods fell by 0.1% to £5.8bn

This slower growth was seen in both exports to EU markets, up 4.3% in 2018 compared to up 10.3% in 2017, and non-EU markets, down 0.3% in 2018 compared to up 8.9% in 2017.

Growth of exports of branded goods also fell, down 0.1% when compared to the previous year. The growth was up 5.0% to EU markets, but down 10.2% to non-EU markets.

Seven of the top 20 markets for UK food and drink exports saw a fall in value, including the United States and France which fell by 2.2% and 3.4% respectively. Exports of salmon and beer fell by 11.6% and 7.0% by value, while the other products among the top 10 exports grew over the period.

Click here to view full summary

Source - Food & Drink Federation (FDF)

Register for the webinar here:  http://www2.afex.com/af2?LinkID=CH00095763eR00000328AD

U.S. FDA Cancelled Thousands of Food Facility Registrations

In February 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed all food facility registrations from its database that were not renewed during the 2018 renewal period. It's important to ensure your facility's registration is valid before continuing exports to the United States, as food manufactured by a facility with a cancelled registration is subject to detention at the U.S. port of entry. Registrar Corp can help you verify whether your FDA registration is valid for 2019 at no cost:

https://www.registrarcorp.com/fda-food/registration/verification/

UK exporters are set to benefit from a multi-million pound boost as Japan has opened its market to imports of UK lamb and beef.

The agreement, signed during Prime Minister Abe’s visit to the UK, is estimated to be worth a total of £127 million over the first five years of access – approximately £75 million for beef and £52 million for lamb.

Japan, a major importer of beef with a growing demand for high quality lamb, has lifted its two-decade long ban on imports of these products with immediate effect.

The deal follows a year of global successes for UK exporters, which included China lifting its ban on UK beef, Taiwan opening its market to pork and India preparing to import UK sheep meat.

Farming Minister George Eustice said:

"The opening of the Japanese market is an excellent result for beef and lamb producers across the UK and demonstrates confidence in our high standards of food and drink.

As we enter a new era as a global exporter, unlocking this market marks a major step for future trading relationships and signals our commitment to supporting our food and drink industry to export more British produce."

The lifting of the ban follows a series of visits and negotiations between UK and Japanese officials, which culminated in an inspection of UK beef and lamb production systems in 2018, successfully hosted by Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, DAERA, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the UK Export Certification Partnership.

Japan is renowned for its stringent food safety and import controls regime and opening this market is expected to send positive signals to other countries, particularly in Asia, regarding the safety of UK exports.

Read more at : www.gov.uk

⦁ Food and drink exports increased by 1.8% to £16.4bn from January to September 2018, when compared to the same period in 2017

⦁ Exports of branded goods grew by £35.2m to £4.3bn, up 0.8%

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has published analysis showing that food and drink exports increased by 1.8% to £16.4bn from January to September 2018, when compared to the same period in 2017. Exports of branded goods grew by £35.2m to £4.3bn, up 0.8%.

The food and drink trade deficit narrowed by 1.3% and it now stands at -£18.0bn, which is £243.0m lower than the same period in 2017. Export growth to EU markets (+4.1%) was positive, while exports to non-EU markets declined (-1.8%), with the EU exports share growing to 62.1%.

All of the top 10 export products reported growth in January to September, apart from beer and salmon. The fall in exports of salmon, down 20.1%, is primarily a result in a fall in sales to France (-19%) and the US (-36.2%). In volume terms, this represents a decline of 16.6 thousand tonnes, which is equivalent to £94.3 million.

Elsa Fairbanks, Director, Food & Drink Exports Association (FDEA), said:

“The FDEA has received positive feedback from members in our recent 2018 Export Survey -  exporters of all sizes from around the UK. Most respondents report continued export growth both in EU and non-EU markets although in the main this comes from more “established” markets.  As the reality of the changing trading environment emerges, there is concern that sales may start to fall in the EU after Brexit and many exporters are exploring opportunities in new areas further afield. In light of this, we fully endorse the need for practical help and support to ensure that companies are prepared for what lies ahead.”

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is at the heart of EU Exit delivery 

To help the British public and businesses understand what the deal will deliver, Her Majesty’s Government has launched the ‘Brexit Deal Explained’ website.   

This website explains the Withdrawal Agreement, which sets out the terms of the UK’s smooth and orderly exit from the European Union, and the Political Declaration, which sets out a framework for the UK’s ambitious future relationship with the European Union that delivers in our national interest.

Here you can find out what the Brexit deal means for our:

Economy ; Jobs ; Security ; Free trade ; Businesses ; Borders

Denmark is leading the way in Europe by bringing in mandatory new labelling on food packaging.  Consumers will be able to see exactly how the products they are buying affects the environment.

Read the full story here

Source: The Local DK