The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has unveiled its manifesto which details its long-term vision for the sector.
Looking ahead to the coming decade, the FDF said that it is aware that the sector “needs to invest to strengthen” its resilience and “seize opportunities” to modernise manufacturing and innovate both in its products and processes to ensure it can “meet net zero while supporting nature and protecting the environment”.
This comes following Covid-19, Brexit, conflict in Ukraine and extreme weather events, which the FDF identified as placing “real strains” on industry, causing supply chain disruption and inflation.
The manifesto detailed how recent data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlighted an “alarming downturn” in investment. Data showed that investment in UK food and drink manufacturing fell by a third in 2023 compared to 2019, which the FDF said was in “sharp contrast” to investment in UK manufacturing overall, which increased by 5% in the same period.
The FDF said that it wants to partner with Government to see the industry “thrive” in the UK, which it said would be “to the benefit of consumers and to drive up investment and opportunities over the next decade. It highlighted three key areas of improvement:
- Green and adaptive: To create a circular economy through high-performing, producer led EPR and DRS schemes that drive up recycling rates, delivery of Net Zero policies and further reduces food waste
- Productive and growing: To “foster investment” in innovation, facilitate an effective regulatory environment that drives growth, deliver a trade strategy that boosts exports, and tackle the skills shortages experienced by the sector
- Nourishing and innovative: To deliver a joined-up approach across Government to tackle poor diets, a clear and consistent public health campaign to “inform and empower” consumers to make healthier choices, and a reformulation fund to support small and medium-sized businesses to make healthier products.
Karen Betts, chief executive of the FDF, said: “Our industry is at the heart of everyone’s daily lives. With people and sites everywhere across the country, we want to unleash the industry’s potential over the coming, critical decade, investing in the future of individuals, communities, and the health of our planet.
“Our manifesto sets out an exciting vision for the next decade, and we can only achieve this in a productive and ambitious partnership with the next Government.
“We want a joined-up approach to food policy across Whitehall, the Devolved Administrations, regulators, the industry and NGOs, to ensure that together we build the resilient, sustainable, innovative and growing food and drink manufacturing sector of tomorrow that the UK needs and deserves.”
