IN BRIEF - The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 

This joint report is issued annually by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization. It presents the latest estimates on food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition at the global and regional levels. The 2019 edition continues to signal that significant challenges remain in the fight against food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms.

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Market Research: UK Ready Meals 2019

We thought you might like to see this presentation by Giles Shapely of Data Pad. This is a follow on from the recent London event at MINTEL, presented by Charlie Bingham. Charlie was a winner of our Excellence in Marketing Award this May at our Presidents Dinner at the House of Lords. We hope you find this Data Pad presentation from Giles a great follow on from the work of Charlies presentation in September and an introduction to the FDA sector.  

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A UK perspective   – what happens to UK agriculture post-Brexit?

This article from John Giles, President of the FDA Group of CIM, examines the issues surrounding the current Brexit negotiations. Produced in the Journal of the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management in September 2019​, the article focuses on the impact on their agricultural sector and the possible effects for other countries such as New Zealand.

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What is happening in the food service sector?

Like many other parts of the supply chain, the food service sector has experienced some challenging times of late – and the overall picture is a bit mixed.

There have been some high profile casualties along the way as well as some spectacular successes too.

The “eating out” market has been subjected to a wide range of pressures over the last 5 years and overall, the sector is relatively flat, but within this, there have of course been winners and losers as it adapts to changing consumer habits, their propensity to eat out, wider market and consumer trends and then grapples with the threats and opportunities this fast moving route to market presents.

This report is a good overview of what is happening and gives some insight as to what might happen next. It is well worth a read.

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Insights: Key trends on the UK food market

This presentation was given by Giles Shapley of Data Pad, before our recent Question Time event on some key trends on the UK food market covering areas such as veganism, flexitarians, the importance of COO labelling, online shopping, eating out and the role of the discount chains. Giles presented this before the QT event “started for real”, in order to give some additional market insight and context to the rest of the evening. Its well worth a read.

The full report including summary charts and tables are available free of charge to interested parties. Please email info@datapad.co for your free copy.

[View PDF]

Report: The issue of food banks in the UK

This is an interesting, if somewhat alarming report on the situation regarding the role of food banks in the UK - something that we should all be aware of and know more about. See this link for a thought provoking insight in to what is happening and what has happened over the last five years.

Report on the global dried fruit and nut sector

This report provides useful information on what is happening in the international dried fruit and nut sector from production trends to market information and insight.

Agribusiness Intelligence produces a whole range of similar reports in the agri-food sector and we will feature other ones in the near future that are of interest to the FDA of the CIM Group, such as the soon to be announced US Farm Bill.

[Downloadable PDF]

Report on the food and drink sector from Waitrose

Waitrose, are of course, one of the most innovative retailers and a few years ago, we had Mark Price, who was at the time, the Managing Director of the business come and talk to the FDA of the CIM Group. This is an interesting report on what they see as some of they key drivers in the UK food and drink market and covers a range of important subject areas. This includes the use of plastics in the supply chain, the development of individualized meal solutions, the growth of vegetarianism, the demand for both traditional British food and international cuisines – and more besides.

Find out more

Report on the UK packaging industry from Innovate UK

The packaging sector is very much in the limelight at the moment and this report is a good overview of the challenges, threats and of course the opportunities that the industry faces overall - not least in the food and drink sector. It is well worth being familiar with.

Find out more

AHDB analysis on opportunities in meat and potato markets from consumer insight team

This article provides insight into the potential demand for meat and other vegetables around Valentine’s Day.It is part of a regular series of articles posted by the AHDB consumer insight team and well worth a read.

Learn more

NFU report - The Future of Food in 2040

This document has recently been produced by the NFU and gives a view of how they see the UK food and ag sector shaping up over the next 25 years or so. It is a well written document and full of thought provoking analysis. It’s well worth a read and has some interesting conclusions that are of importance wherever you are in the supply chain. If you don’t agree with all that is said in it - anyone working in the UK ag and food sector needs to have some idea of what the overall thought process of influential organisations, such as the NFU are thinking.

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The EAT Lancet report

This report was published recently and was produced by a group of leading and influential scientists and researchers. Its conclusions have far reaching consequences for all those involved in the UK and international agri-food supply chain and is something we should all be aware of in terms of the efforts being made by the global food and agricultural sector in reaching its sustainability targets. Among the conclusions are that the evidence on the environmental impact of the challenge of feeding 10 billion people on the planet within a generation merits strong mitigating action and that food will be one of the defining issues of the 21st century.

[Download PDF]

Interesting report on the impact of Brexit on consumers

There is no shortage of material on the impact of Brexit on the macro economy at the moment, but maybe less so the case on the impact on consumer behavior in the agricultural and food sector.

This report was produced by Hadlow College in Kent after it held a Roundtable type event a few weeks back and is a good read. It touches on a whole range of interesting issues including the creation of food brands and marketing campaigns, the affordability of food and drink products, changing consumer habits and trends as well as other important issues such as levels of financial support to farmers, career development and paths in the farming and food sector and the future role of provenance in the supply chain.

As well as the full report, you can see a short video which is also available here.

It’s well worth a read and has some interesting conclusions that are of importance wherever you are in the supply chain.

[Download PDF]

Interesting report on the changing nature of food consumption and culture in the UK…

The whole nature of food consumption has changed beyond on all recognition in the last 30/40 years - in the past, we thought fish and chips followed by Artic Roll was living it up! Now, we seem to have turned in to a nation of “foodies” with a huge choice of food cuisines to choose from and we can order or buy it on a 24/7 basis with an equally wide range of food styles and types - vegan, organic, “free from”, halal, kosher, Fair Trade to name but a few. How has this happened and what are the drivers behind it? And what are the implications in the future for farmers and food producers? This report produced by the well respected research unit at Exeter University explores all these areas and is well worth having a look at and will be a more than useful reference tool for many in the supply chain.

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The Moral Imperative for maximising UK food production 

The NFU is running a series of roundtable meetings to develop recommendations on the themes of its 'UK - A Nation United by Food' report.

The NFU wishes to see the UK become united by food and take the business of food seriously. To highlight this, it has published the UK – A Nation United By Food and is engaging with stakeholders to bring together views on what a future UK food policy might look like.

Stuart Thomson, CIM FDA Committee member was asked to submit his thoughts on why he feels there is a moral imperative to maximise UK food production.

The blog can be found here. 

How can I access Mintel market research reports?

We have access to a range of market reports published by Mintel in the CIM library, we are based in Cookham, Berkshire.
You can view these reports in the library but you do not have remote access to them.

If you are unable to visit the CIM library we can email you pages from the reports. Under our unique licence agreement with Mintel we are permitted to copy and send you up to 5% of any of the reports that we have access to for you for a fee of £6.00 + VAT per report.

If you would like to be sent pages from any of the Mintel reports that we have access to please let Knowledge Services know which reports or markets you are interested in, we can then send you the tables of contents for the reports so that you can make page selections.

AHDB reports on consumer insight in the dairy and drinks sector

The UK Agricultural Development Board produces a good deal of information across a whole range of areas to do with the food and agricultural sectors.

There are some really useful publications on the impact of BREXIT across a whole spectrum of the supply chain.

They also produce some really good insight in to key consumer trends and here are two of the more recent ones on the dairy sector - as well as the drinks market – we hope these are useful and feel free to down load them as might be appropriate and why not have a look at some of the other market information and insight that the AHDB produces at the same time.

Keeping dairy relevant

Alcohol trends

You can sign up for these and other reports here.

The new Agricultural Bill – what's in it... and why does it matter?

DEFRA has been involved in an extensive consultation process with the UK agricultural and food sector in the lead up to the recent publication of the British Agricultural Bill. There has been a good deal of important discussion around this, which can be summarised here.

The new Agricultural Bill points to a different way forward for the UK agri-food sector and things will be different in the future as to how agriculture, farming and the rural economy is managed and supported in the future. It is important that we all have an understanding of what will change, why it will change and when, if we are to do our jobs properly.

John Giles, President of the FDA of the CIM Group

Investag newsletter: International agricultural investment 2018

Henry Wilkes, from a business called INVEST AG, provides a range of services to investors in the UK and international agricultural and farming sector from his base in the UK.  He is a good friend of the Food Drink and Agriculture (FDA) sector interest group at CIM and attends a number of our events on a regular basis. He provides his clients with a regular update on key trends in farm land and agricultural investment and has allowed us to share this with our members. It is full of useful analysis and insight on what is driving investment in the farming sector and what he expects to see happen going forward.

[Download PDF]

Food Packaging Trends - UK - March 2018

"The spotlight on plastic packaging and its environmental impact will be a key driver of change in the food industry. Consumers’ expectations for sustainable packaging are set to heighten demand for alternative materials. Responding to the shifting demographic backdrop is also vital, given the growing number of small households and the ageing population."
Alyson Parkes, Research Analyst

This report examines the following issues:

• Cardboard and paper packaging likely to benefit off the back of plastic concerns
• Helping younger age groups to recycle more can build engagement
• Highlighting functional features can win favour with the UK’s ageing population

Drinks Packaging Trends - UK - April 2018

“The spotlight on plastic packaging and the environment is already driving change in the drinks market, while health concerns present a challenge and an opportunity. Consumer openness to using a deposit return scheme bodes well for its implementation, meanwhile, portion control packaging and nutrition labelling can appeal, helping consumers to feel they are making informed decisions.”
Alyson Parkes, Research Analyst

This report will look at the following areas:

• Plastic concerns bode well for DRS and bottle refill schemes
• Opportunity for portion control packaging in drinks

Market Intelligence, April 2018 

As Brexit draws closer, we hear much about the opportunities new export markets present for British food and farming products. AHDB is at the heart of preparations to capitalise on these opportunities working with our farmers, growers and industry.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is a statutory levy board, funded by farmers, growers and others in the supply chain and managed as an independent organisation. Read their latest Market Intelligence Report

Source: AHDB, April 2018 [Download the PDF]

The market place, Spring 2018

The Marketplace, is a bi-annual report into the key issues affecting the fresh produce and dairy industries which is produced by Reynolds Catering Services.  It provides insight, opinion and analysis on key developments in the UK agri food sector. Reynolds have allowed us to share this with CIM's FDA members. It is a very good summary of the current state of play in the UK food sector and a highly worthwhile read. Stuart Thomson (from EFFP) has contributed to this publication - he is on the Board of the FDA Group.

Reynolds is one of the leading foodservice company’s in the UK. As a family business with a passion for fresh produce, Reynolds is a leader in the UK distribution of fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy and cheese.

Spring 2018, Published by Reynolds [Download PDF]

Winning in convenience: the rise of the recipe box, AHDB, March 2018

In an age of the time-poor consumer, fuelled by ready meals and hyper-convenience, there is still a strong urge for many to try cooking from scratch. Many suppliers are tapping into this trend by offering Recipe boxes that pull together everything you need to make a meal, delivering to your door. AHDB explore the opportunities that these services deliver.

Source: AHDB Consumer Insight Snapshop, March 2018

[Download the PDF]

Groceries Code Adjudicator Driving Change, Making an Impact - March 2018

On Wednesday 21 March 2018, Christine Tacon, who heads up the Groceries Code Adjudicator which oversees the relationship between direct suppliers of food and drink to the top 10 retailers in the UK, gave a presentation to CIM's FDA group. A copy of Christine's presentation is available here. 

Groceries Code Adjudicator Driving Change, Making an Impact - March 2018 [Download the presentation]

Agrimoney Spotlight Report Q4, 2017: Emerging Technologoes for Agricultural commodities traders

This special report, with content contributed by three companies with a specialist IT focus on commodity trading, provides a guide to the latest technologies set to impact upon the industry. It covers three key topics:

• Blockchain for agricultural commodities traders.
• Cloud computing for the agricultural industry.
• Commodity Trade and Risk Management in a dynamic IT landscape.

Available as a download, by kind permission of Agrimoney.

Agrimoney Spotlight Report Q4, 2017,  [Download PDF] 

An in-depth guide to currency movements

Agrimoney has launched a new guide which aims to explain the factors behind currency movements and help businesses manage their foreign exchange requirements.  The report tackles some of the key issues and how they might impact on rates.

You need to register to receive your free copy of ‘An in-depth guide to currency movements’ it’s produced in association with currency market specialist Firma Foreign Exchange.

December 2017, An in-depth guide to currency movements [Download PDF]

Food Statistics in your pocket 2017 summary, 14 November 2017

This summary provides a selection of information from the full Food Statistics Pocketbook covering the economic, social and environmental aspects of the food we eat. It contains statistics for different time periods, but always using latest available data at the time of release. Data comes from surveys run by Defra and the Office for National Statistics and from a wide range of other sources including government departments, agencies and commercial organisations.

Food Statistics in your pocket 2017 summary [Download PDF] 

The Implications of Brexit for UK, EU and Global Agricultural Reform in the next decade

Regardless of which Brexit model the UK chooses when it leaves the EU in 2019, the country’s agricultural sector will need new policies developed from scratch to succeed the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This briefing looks at the four main model options for forthcoming UK and
EU agricultural policy decisions, in the context of wider global trends and challenges.

November 2017. Source: Energy, Environment and Resources Department. [Download PDF]

Quantitative modelling for post Brexit scenarios

The UK’s decision to leave the European Union (EU), its Single Market and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), has created much uncertainty for the agricultural sector. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has identified four main areas of concern. These are (i) the terms of international trade, both with the remaining EU-27 and with other countries; (ii) domestic agricultural policy, as manifest in support payments, rural development and market management; (iii) migrant labour and its availability; and, (iv) the UK regulatory environment.

These two reports explores these four areas of concern using three scenarios specified by AHDB:

Quantitative modelling for post Brexit scenarios, September 2017.  Agribusiness Consulting |Informa in association with Promar International. Authors Dr Dylan Bradley and Professor Berkeley Hill. Full report. [Download PDF]

Brexit Scenarios: an impact assessment, October 2017. Published in Horizon, Market Intelligence, AHDB agriculture & Horticulture Development Board.  [Download PDF]

The market place

Reynolds is one of the leading foodservice company’s in the UK and supply a wide range of catering customers with an equally wide range of produce. 

Reynolds Catering produce a regular update, The Marketplace, on key developments in the UK agri food sector and have allowed us to share this with CIM's FDA members. It is a very good summary of  the current state of play in the UK food sector and a highly worthwhile read.  Both John Giles (from Promar International) and Stuart Thomson (from EFFP) have contributed to this publication - both are on the Board of the FDA Group. 

Autumn 2017, Published by Reynolds  [Download PDF]

Producer Organisations after Brexit

As we move towards a post-Brexit world there is significant potential for UK growers to increase their share of the UK fresh produce market. The UK grower share of the UK market in fresh produce is circa 50%. The UK relies heavily on imports from the EU and UK growers are keen to see their market share increase in the years ahead.

July 2017, Published by British Growers [Download PDF]

Migrant workers in agriculture

The UK agriculture and horticulture sectors have long relied on migrant labour. This reliance has increased in recent years due to the seasonal nature of demand and falling unemployment in the UK. This briefing paper examines current concerns within the industry about a labour shortage and further concerns about the impact of Brexit might have on labour supply. One solution but forward by some has been the return of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers scheme (or something very like it), and the briefing provides a background on this.

4 July 2017, House of Commons briefing paper [Download PDF] 

Brexit: what next for UK fisheries?

The implications of Brexit for fisheries are highly uncertain and will depend on future negotiations with the EU and future UK Government policy. The Government announced its intention to introduce a new Fisheries Bill in the 2017 Queen's Speech.

4 July 2017, House of Commons briefing paper [Download PDF] 

UK supermarket trends – fresh produce

The UK produce market faces a challenging time. In 2017 the UK voted to leave Europe and the implications of this decision are becoming a reality. With the weakening of the pound resulting in pricing increases, margins are tight and both retailers and suppliers are trying to mitigate the risk of a very unpredictable future.

Despite all of this, the UK continues to be a successful market for fruit, vegetables and flowers, and a benchmark of innovation for Europe. Growers and suppliers are working incredibly hard to improve environmental factors, health implications and to constantly innovate in these areas. We have had a look at what is happening in UK supermarkets in produce, to establish a clearer picture of this market.

This Innovative Fresh report seeks to identify and facilitate opportunities for brands and retailers based on cultural trends, consumer preferences and behaviour, produce innovations, supermarket trends and sales patterns. This is a mini report, but Innovative Fresh can provide far more detailed and specific reports, tailored to your needs, along with supermarket tours and research.

July 2017, Innovative Fresh, in collaboration with Pink Sky [Download PDF] 

Brexit: agriculture and trade

Policy changes and the outcome of Brexit negotiations will impact on UK agriculture and UK trade trends in agricultural products. EU membership has driven agricultural support and funding through the Common Agricultural Policy, trade arrangements through the single market and external tariffs and supply of labour to UK farms. This paper explores some of the implications of Brexit for agriculture and trade. 

29 June 2017, House of Commons briefing paper [Download PDF]

Brexit: agriculture.  3 May 2017. EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee 

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy. 12 April 2017. House of Commons Library 

Feeding the nation: labour constraints. April 2017. Commons Select Committee Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Entrepreneurship: A kiss of life for the UK farming sector – Bold Agriculture 2016

Produced by The Oxford Farming Conference. Entrepreneurialism is a topic that has been explored widely outside agriculture, but rarely directly focused on our industry. This report explores entrepreneurialism and its frequent bedfellow, leadership, specifically in farming people. The study examines whether entrepreneurs are born or bred, and whether people can learn to become entrepreneurial, or to lead. This report has been produced for the 2016 Oxford Farming Conference, entitled: Bold Agriculture.

Entrepreneurship: A kiss of life for the UK farming sector – Bold Agriculture 2016 [Download PDF] 

Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2016

Produced by; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Northern Ireland) Welsh Assembly, The Department for Rural Affairs and Heritage The Scottish Government, Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services.

Agriculture in the United Kingdom, 2016 [Download PDF]

Food Statistics Pocketbook 2016

Produced by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

This publication provides a concise round-up of statistics on food covering the economic, social and environmental aspects of the food we eat. It contains statistics for different time periods, but always using latest available data at the time of release. Data comes from surveys run by Defra and the Office for National Statistics and from a wide range of other sources including government departments, agencies and commercial organisations.

Food Statistics Pocketbook 2016 [Download PDF]