The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has announced British food and drink exports are up by 6.2% in the first half of 2016 compared to the same period last year, following the fall of the pound since Brexit.
Exports to non-EU countries rose by £93.7m, a 14% increase on H1 figures – implying they account for 31.4% of all branded exports.
FDF director general Ian Wright described the announcement as “excellent news for the trade groups”.
He added: “It’s very pleasing to see non-EU exports performing beyond expectations, with UK firms taking advantage of increased competiveness.”
EU countries are still the UK’s top export destination – outnumbering non-EU markets in terms of volume sales.
According to data from HM Customs & Excise, Britain’s top-performing sector was ’other groceries’, which covers an array of foods. Bakery was one of the main top-performing value sales – worth over £1.2m.
FDF has set a target of growing the UK’s food and drink manufacturing industry by 20% between now and 2020.
Earlier this month, bakers were urged to understand the function of sugars in bakery items before moving to reduce the sugar content on behalf of the FDF.
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