New guidance issued to encourage exports for UK manufacturers

New guidance has been issued for UK food and drink manufacturers that would help the current and future exporters to engage in the competitive global marketplace.

The Exports – Five Steps to Food and Drink Exporting Success guidance has been issued by the UK’s Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and Food and Drink Exporters Association (FDEA).

FDEA director John Whitehead OBE said: "The FDEA is dedicated to working with UK food and drink companies, which want to grow their business through export.

"We are confident that this new guide demonstrates our knowledge and expertise in the food and drink export sector, by offering sound advice that can really help companies to develop their export potential.

"Working in partnership with FDF, we want to ensure that this message reaches the widest possible audience and encourages more companies to begin the journey into international markets."

Providing information on how food and drink manufacturers can start exporting, the new guidance will help encourage the UK’s 6,500 manufacturers to trade internationally.

It also features details of necessary research, and provides knowledge on how to develop export opportunities and useful global contacts.

In a bid to achieve a total value of £6bn by 2020, FDF aims at increasing exports of value-added food and drink products by a third.

FDF competitiveness director Angela Coleshill said: "At present, only a relatively small proportion of food and drink businesses export from the UK.

"We want to unlock our industry’s huge export potential by helping more of the UK’s finest manufacturers to seize the opportunity to sell their products overseas.

"By doing this, we believe we can grow exports of UK branded goods by a third by 2020 to more than £6bn."

This can be achieved by a continuous joint activity and promotions between FDEA and FDF.