Letter to Prime Minister: NFU Leads Charge on Trade and Standards Asks Ahead of Brexit

The National Farmers Union has taken the initiative and mobilized a huge coalition of farming, environmental, animal welfare and public health organizations to write a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on trade and standards.

Sent to coincide with the passing of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill which has now had Royal Assent, the letter said:

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing to you as a broad coalition of major farming, environment, animal welfare and public health organisations who share and support your government’s stated commitment to ensuring the environmental, animal welfare and...

Pig Feet from Britain to be Shipped to China

Six sites in Britain have been given official approval to export pig feet to China in a new agreement announced today.

Exports will be able to commence shortly after the sites – five in England and one in Scotland – were confirmed to meet Chinese requirements.

It will be the first time these sites in Britain, which belong to Cranswick, Karro and Tulip, have exported pig feet to China. While pig feet have relatively low demand in the UK, they are prized in the Chinese market.

The news comes just days after the government announced beef from the UK will be exported to...

Mintel: Affluent Brits Flock to Chicken Shops and Restaurants as Sales Increase

Well-heeled Brits are joining the nation’s chicken shop obsession, according to latest research from Mintel. Over the last year alone, the number of affluent Brits visiting chicken outlets and restaurants has shot up from 40% in 2018 to 45% in 2019.

Meanwhile, those who have stable household finances are also now more likely to be enjoying the nation’s chicken shops and restaurants. Almost half (47%) of those describing their financial situation as ‘OK’ visited a chicken shop in 2019, compared to 41% a year earlier. This comes as the chicken segment has seen some worse-off consumers exiting the market. The number of Brits with a challenging financial situation visiting chicken shops dropped from...

Delivering the Goods: British Courier and Express Delivery Market Hit £12.6 Billion in 2018 

Brits’ love of online shopping* is sending the courier and express delivery market** into double digit growth, according to latest research from Mintel. Last year, courier and express delivery sales increased a spectacular 12% to reach £12.6 billion, thereby completing growth of 62% since 2014. Meanwhile, volume sales increased by 14% alone in 2018 and 66% between 2014 and 2018. Last year, Brits sent an impressive 3.65 billion packages, up from 3.2 billion in 2017.

Over the next five years, the market for courier and express delivery is expected to continue to post first-class sales. Volumes are forecast to maintain double-digit yearly growth, rising by 54% between 2019 and 2023, further surpassing value sales, which are forecast to grow by 42% over the same five year period.

Cost (53%), ease of finding products online (51%) and greater variety (39%) are the top three reasons why Brits are choosing to have products delivered as opposed to shopping in-store...

Eating with a Conscience: Ethical Food and Drink Sales Hit £8.2 Billion in 2018 

British consumers are increasingly eating with a conscience as latest research from Mintel reveals that last year the nation spent £8.2 billion on ethical food and drink, including organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified products. Over the past five years, sales of ethical food and drink have shot up by 43% from £5.7 billion in 2013. This year, sales are forecast to increase a further 4% to reach £8.6 billion. The sector’s ongoing popularity is set to continue, as sales of ethically certified food and drink are projected to rise by 17% to reach £9.6 billion between 2019-23.

This popularity is widespread, as today, a caring 83% of UK adults say they have bought food/drink with some sort of ethical certification. Proving a hit with more mature Brits, those most likely to...