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Key industry facts

Need some quick facts about the food and grocery industry? Here we offer you some headline facts, figures and analysis.

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The economic and social impact of the food and grocery industry, farming and foodservice

  • Shoppers have choice – they may obtain food and drink from 361,000 dedicated outlets in the UK (99,000 shops and 262,000 foodservice locations)
  • The total UK food industry provides more than 3.7m jobs – 14% of UK employment
  • Last year, food and drink accounted for 15% of UK manufacturing output, up 3% over the last ten years and making it the largest manufacturing sector
  • UK food exports are worth £14bn annually, up 7% year-on-year, accounting for 6% of UK goods exported
  • UK farming productivity improved by 20% over the last ten years

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Achievements in nutrition, diet and health

  • Voluntary action by the food industry has been directly responsible for the drop in average consumer intakes of trans fats by more than half, to 1% of food energy
  • UK average salt consumption fell by 9.5% between 2001 and 2008

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Creating a sustainable supply chain, reducing waste, emitting less carbon

  • More than 500,000 tonnes of food waste was prevented in 2006 by finding alternative uses for food by-products
  • There is now zero growth in grocery packaging, despite a growth in the population and rising sales. A real decline is expected this year

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