Welsh food and drink industry must thrive, post-Brexit

A Government Minister has emphasised the importance of the Welsh’ food and drink industry prospering post-Brexit following a record year.

The latest industry figures reveal record-breaking turnover of £7.473bn in Wales in 2019, surpassing the ambitious target set in 2014 to achieve 30 per cent growth and reach £7bn of sales by 2020.

And with the UK having now left the EU, Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, recently visited ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, at Cardiff Metropolitan University, where she spoke of her hopes for the future of the sector in a post-EU world.

“In 2014, we announced a simple and bold target – to raise the industry’s sales value by 30 per cent to £7bn by 2020. I am absolutely delighted we have now more than achieved this, the latest data showing the sector has a value of £7.473bn,” she commented.

“Wales’ food and drink industry has never been in ruder health and it has been fantastic to share the success with some of our wonderful, innovative producers here today.” However, describing Brexit as a big disruptor, she continued: “I am in regular contact with Ministerial counterparts in the UK Government and my message to them is clear. This sector is a real success story which we need to continue to promote and develop; it should not be overlooked or sold down the river. During trade negotiations and discussions on our future relationship with the EU, the UK Government must consider the impact on the 23,000 people who work in Wales’ food and drink sector and the 217,000 employed in the wider supply chain.”

Danish organics celebrates three decades

This year marks 30 years of the Danish organic logo and is being marked with a special celebration.

Denmark is considered a world leader when it comes to the share of the total food market held by organic products and is represented with the national Danish organic logo – the red Ø – which is 30-years-old in 2020.

Prior to this logo being established, the Danish Parliament had passed the world’s first law on organic production, and since then, the Danish Government has certified and controlled the country’s organic farmers and companies. Today, 98 per cent of the Danish population are aware that the red Ø is the Danish Government’s guarantee for the organic production of natural foods with focus on clean environment and a high level of animal welfare.

Each time a Dane buys food and drink for 100 kroner (the Danish currency), almost 14 kroner of that is spent on goods that bear the red Ø and the EU’s green organic logo. Based on increasing sales over previous years, Organic Denmark estimates that during 2020, the average Dane will spend 3,400 kroner, equivalent to 453 Euros, on organic products.

“There’s no doubt that the red Ø and the general cooperation between successive Danish consumers have a lot of confidence in the way in which products are controlled all the way from the farmer to the supermarket, and the label has a high level of credibility,” commented Pernille Bundgard, International Market Director at Organic Denmark.

Almost half a million people make Veganuary pledge, organisers reveal

The organisers of the annual Veganuary campaign are celebrating after increasing the number of participants by more than 150,000.

The 2020 campaign, which took place in January, saw more than 400,000 people take the pledge, a huge rise on the 250,000 in 2019 and exceeding the target of 350,000 for 2020.

Hundreds of new plant-based products were launched, with sales exceeding expectations. Retailers also saw interest in vegan products soar, for example, M&S’ Plant Kitchen No Chicken Kiev sold at a rate of four every minute since it launched on January 2.

April Preston, Director of Product Development at M&S, commented: “Veganism is a trend that we are absolutely loving at M&S, and as our customers continue to experiment and adopt more flexitarian diets, we too are having fun creating new products to fit within this.”

In addition, more than 50 companies took part in the Veganuary Workplace Challenge, encouraging employees to try vegan and providing more vegan options in the workplace. And Veganuary launched its first-ever TV ad on major networks in five countries including Sky News in the UK.

Veganuary’s Head of Communications, Toni Vernelli, commented: “With the link between animal farming and the climate crisis making headlines nearly every day, we expected Veganury 2020 to be the biggest yet, but it exceeded all of our expectations. We applaud everyone who took part and encourage them to continue eating vegan food as often as possible. And we’re grateful to all of the businesses embracing Veganuary and making it easier for more people to eat more plant-based food more often.”

Organic and Natural Business Product Award winners announced

If our annual Organic & Natural Business Product Awards have told us anything it is that product innovation and excellence is alive and kicking in our sector.

With a hugely varied range of products in the running for one of our awards, and with some new categories introduced to reflect the sheer number of new launches we have seen, our awards have proved more popular than ever.

And it gives us great pride and delight to be able to reveal all those brands whose products have won a coveted accolade. The reasons for why retailers felt they should be a winner were varied, but all were rooted in their excellence, ethics and innovation. Many congratulations to those who won or were highly commended and we thank all retailers who took the time to vote- winners below:

Best Skin & Bodycare:

Winner – Salt of the Earth Natural Deodorant

Highly Commended – Weleda Skin Food collection

Best Personal Care:

Winner – Organ(y)c Sanitary Pads

Highly Commended – JASON Himalayan Pink Salt 2-in-1 Bath Soak & Body Wash

Best New Beauty & Healthcare:

Winner – ATTITUDE Living BULK to go Hand Soap Orange Leaves

Highly Commended – My Beauty & Go Beauty Sleep Shot

Best Healthcare:

Winner – Celtic Nutrition Healthy Heart with Plant Sterols

Highly Commended – Salus Floradix Vitamin B-Complex

Best New Food & Drink:

Winner – Organico Perfect Gluten-Free Pasta

Highly Commended – Plamil So free Vegan Cocoa Bites

Best Food:

Winner – Tiana Fairtrade Organics Odourless Cooking Butter

Highly Commended – Navitas Organic Cacao Sweet Nibs

Best Drink:

Winner – Veg of Lund My Foodie Organic Drinks

Highly Commended – Pukka Cacoa Maca Magic Herbal Latte

Best Household:

Winner – Natracare Safe to Flush Moist Tissues

Highly Commended – ATTITUDE Living BULK to go Bathroom Cleaner

Read about them all here 

Dr Bronner’s announces sustainability initiative

A new initiative designed to support advocacy for social justice, animal rights and environmental sustainability in the UK has been announced by Dr Bronner’s.

The natural soap brand has created the pilot programme, called All-One UK Initiative, which is an extension to the existing All-One International that seeks to ensure mission aligned advocacy is supported in the markets that Dr Bronner’s sells its products in. Through the initiative, at a minimum, one per cent of Dr Bronner’s sales to the UK market each year will be donated to local advocacy efforts in support of social justice, animal advocacy, and environmental sustainability.

The launch of the initiative in the UK market, as well as Germany, is a pilot programme for 2019.

Michael Bronner, President of Dr Bronner’s, explained: “In the UK, our distributors are deeply inspired by the extraordinary organisations we are supporting and are happy to help elevate awareness of these causes globally.”

By the end of 2019, Dr Bronner’s All-One UK will have donated to three highly effective organisations and initiatives within the country that are aligned with the company’s core focus areas; Animal Advocacy with Compassion in World Farming, Environmental Sustainability with UK Youth Climate Coalition, and Social Justice with Emmaus.

In addition to financial donations, the company has donated its soaps and other products to festivals, community and educational events, fundraisers, animal sanctuaries, and direct-action campaigns across the UK and around the world throughout the year.