Browse Data and Analysis

The United Kingdom is still facing a cost-of-living crisis. In October 2024, businesses and consumer confidence indexes dropped to the lowest level this year as uncertainty looms with regards to the newly elected Labour administration and what they may announce in the October 30 government budget.

The UK food ingredients sector is a thriving and competitive market, driven by changing consumer demands, technological advancements, and an emphasis on quality and safety.

Changes to UK alcohol tax rates were implemented on August 1, 2023. The UK government calls this an alcohol duty, but it is an excise tax charged at the point of production or importation of drinks of alcoholic strength exceeding 1.2 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) – the percentage of pure alcohol per liter of product.

The cost-of-living crisis dominates this report, highlighting the increased price of food faced by consumers in the UK.

U.S. exports of consumer-oriented food products to Saudi Arabia increased 23 percent over 2021 to a record $656 million mainly due to the continued expansion in online shopping platforms.

The 2023 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world during the 2023 calendar year.

The 2022 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world during the 2022 calendar year.

Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Arab world and home to a growing food manufacturing and processing sector. Total investments in the sector are projected to reach $70 billion in 2030, an increase of approximately 59% over total investments in 2016.

The UK has a large, well-developed food processing industry, requiring a wide range of ingredients, from low-value, highly processed food to high-value, lightly processed ingredients. This provides many opportunities for U.S. exporters, including wellness and health products.

Japan’s National Tax Agency (NTA) proposed 9 new geographical indications (GIs) for alcoholic beverages from the United Kingdom. NTA will accept public comments on the proposal through January 16, 2023.

The UK retail sector is one of the most sophisticated in the world, with the UK retail grocery market valued at $282 billion in June 2022. Discounters remain the fastest growing channel, with online grocery shopping remaining stable after achieving unprecedented growth during the pandemic.

U.S. exports of consumer-oriented food products to Saudi Arabia decreased four percent in 2021, compared to 2020, to approximately $535 million mainly due to shipping issues (e.g., fewer cargo ships, higher costs, etc.) throughout the year. Unfortunately, this trend is expected to continue throughout 2022.