FDF calls on next UK government to prioritise food and drink sector

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has released its recent manifesto, which calls on the next UK government to focus on the nation’s food and drink sector, and support long-standing industry proposals to boost the sector’s productivity. 

The manifesto outlines five key policies the next government must implement to ensure the industry continues to thrive, supporting the considerable contribution it makes socially, culturally and economically to communities throughout the country:

• 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 vehicle for partnership with government.

“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,” said FDF Chief Executive, Ian Wright CBE.

“The food and drink manufacturing industry touches every person, every community and every constituency in the country. It is 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.

“Strategic partnerships with government, including the Food and Drink Sector Council, have been long over-due but are finally delivering. The next administration must seize upon this once in a generation opportunity to develop these relationships and build the food and drink industry our people demand and deserve.”