11th December 2020
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has published data showing that in the third quarter of 2020, food and drink exports from the UK fell by 11.6% to £5.5bn when compared to the same period in 2019, as the flow of goods to both EU and non-EU markets declined.
This decrease was largely blamed on the impacts of the pandemic, including the closure of hospitality and travel sectors, which has meant a loss of sales into restaurants, cafés, bars and the out-of-home sector across Europe.
In the first nine months to September 2020, food and drink exports fell to £15.2bn (-12.9%) when compared to the same period in 2019. Exports to the majority of the top 20 markets decreased, with sales to Spain falling significantly by 33.8%. However, exports to Norway experienced the most substantial increase, rising by 38.4% to £198.8m. When looking at UK export products, pork and breakfast cereals were the only products within the top 10 to show growth, up 12.7%, and 2.5%, respe