The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has issued a call to the next UK Government to build on existing links to champion the nation’s sector.
In its own manifesto, the FDF also issued an appeal for support of long-standing industry proposals to boost the thriving sector’s productivity, citing that the food and drink manufacturing industry is a national success story with a powerful heritage, employing over 450,000 people throughout the UK and being worth more than £31bn to the economy.
FDF’s manifesto outlines five key policies the next Government must implement to ensure the industry continues to thrive, which are:
- Prioritise the closest possible UK-EU trade and regulatory relationship.
- Tackle obesity and other dietary concerns through a holistic, evidence-based partnership which reflects real lifestyles.
- Support efforts to make food production and consumption more environmentally sustainable and help tackle climate change.
- Work with industry to develop home-grown talent and boost skills to equip the industry for its future.
- Drive productivity with the Food and Drink Sector Council, the leading vehicle for partnership with Government.
FDF Chief Executive, Ian Wright CBE, commented: “We know the next Government – of whatever political hue – will want to tackle issues like obesity and plastic packaging. To do that successfully, it will need to work effectively with the industry and the FDF. The food and drink manufacturing industry touches every person, every community and every constituency in the country. It’s the UK’s largest manufacturing industry. Its success is integral to the country’s wider economic prosperity, with an impact far beyond London and the south east.”
