About the Industry
Next time you are out shopping, pause for a moment and think about your
favourite food and drink products. Then try to visualise how they got into your
local
supermarket or corner store.
You may not know it, but the products you put in
your
basket or trolley are there because of the efforts of literally thousands
of
people working in different industries in the UK food chain.
Food and drink manufacturers are the vital link in what we call the food supply
chain. We take what's grown by farmers and turn it into the products that are
sold by retailers and caterers to their customers – people like you.
Given the choice of products now available in supermarkets and restaurants,
you will not be surprised to learn that manufacturing is an incredibly diverse
sector.
Did you know there are 6,705 food and soft drinks manufacturers in the UK
alone (7,835 including alcoholic drinks)?
Or that some 60% of employees in the
UK work for companies with 500 employees or more? That's why FDF has members large and small, involved in
making
everything from organic muesli to carbonated soft drinks.
Our industry is focused on delivering what consumers want and we have excelled
when it comes to meeting consumer demands for convenience, variety and choice;
for
products that offer health and nutrition benefits; and, of course, for low
prices.
Food and drink manufacturing is an intensely competitive sector, and has been
consolidating in recent years through mergers and acquisitions. Nevertheless
there
is still room for small to medium-sized enterprises to flourish, often
producing
specialist food products for consumers around the world.
We are also part of a global food industry, embracing worldwide sourcing and
supply of ingredients. For some companies, exporting products to overseas
markets
is
vital to the success of their operations. Others have operations in many
countries, producing a wide range of products under well-known brand names.
But the one thing all food and drink manufacturers have in common is their
ambition to supply consumers with food and drink products that taste great, are
nutritious and safe, and meet the requirements of our busy lives.
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