British food unit will help food producers take on the world, vows Truss

FROM Yorkshire Tea to China, Weetabix to Rwanda and Cadbury chocolate fingers to the Bahamas, Environment Secretary Liz Truss has promised to help more British brands take on the world.
Elizabeth Truss, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.Elizabeth Truss, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.
Elizabeth Truss, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

The Leeds-raised politician declared a new governmental ‘Great British Food Unit’ open for business in a move which she says will “turbo-charge” UK food exports and has the potential to create an extra 5,000 jobs.

She cited local companies Taylors of Harrogate and York-based Nestle as two examples of the types of companies that stand to benefit as the UK looks to narrow the gulf between Britain’s export success and those of its European neighbours.

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Long-term, the new unit is intended to help the UK match France and Germany, which both currently export food and drink products which, in total, are worth more than double that of the UK’s exports, Miss Truss said.

She claimed that experts in both exports and investment from Defra and across government will be brought together for the first time to boost export sales of “world class produce”, and that it is intended to help the industry meet its target of increasing manufactured food exports to £6bn by 2020.

The UK already has an international reputation for excellence and as a place to invest in, Miss Truss said, as she announced that the new unit will support further Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the food industry which stood at a record £60bn in 2014 – nearly a third of all FDI assets in UK manufacturing.

The Environment Secretary revealed the details on a visit to the Weetabix factory. The cereal giant has pledged to source all of its wheat from local farmers.

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Miss Truss said: “We produce more new food products each year than France and Germany combined. My long term aspiration is for the UK to match both these countries in terms of the value of exports so our food and drink becomes a worldwide phenomenon.

“From Weetabix to Yeo Valley yoghurt, I want to see more of the Great British breakfast enjoyed around the world. Through the creation of the new Great British Food Unit companies large and small will now find it easier to export overseas and receive foreign investment.

“It is vital for our economic future that we make British food and farming all it can be – over the next five years we will do that by backing big business, supporting punchy start-ups and embracing our rich food heritage.”

Ian Wright, director general of the Food and Drink Federation, said the new food unit could be “a real game changer”.

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“In the UK, we have doubled total food and drink exports in a decade, and, with the right support, even more UK brands can take their fair share of the opportunities that abound abroad.”

Miss Truss said any companies seeking to be involved in the Great British Food Unit will be offered practical support to help them innovate and identify new markets for export. They will also be championed by international UKTI teams and British Embassies who will work to promote British food and drink abroad.

Over the next five years the work of the unit will additionally focus on securing access for UK meat and dairy products to markets like China, Africa and South America; trebling the number of apprenticeships in the food and drink industry, and increasing the number of Protected Food Names from 64 to 200 to help differentiate British food products from the competition.

The announcement was welcomed by Leeds-based milk processor Arla, whose head of milk, Ash Amirahmadi, said: “While times have been tough for British farmers recently, we are confident that there are significant opportunities for dairy globally. There are early signs that demand is rising again in Asia and other markets.

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“Exporting is an a fundamental part of our business and will become increasingly so over time. Over 300m litres of Arla’s British farmer owners’ milk, or 10 per cent of our UK milk production, is processed into products which are exported. Moreover, we have experienced a five-fold increase in the level of our export business in the last three years.

“As the UK’s largest dairy cooperative, which produces 25 per cent of British milk, we are committed to working with Government to achieve the best outcomes for our farmer owners and the UK dairy sector more widely – particularly on exports and supply chain best practice.”