British trade mission to sell tea to China
Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson will arrive in China on Monday to fly the flag for British food.
Mr Paterson will be joined by a delegation of 35 British food and drink businesses, tapping into the Chinese market at the Food and Hotel China exhibition in Shanghai. The British companies span the food and drinks market, from tea and beers to cheese, smoked salmon, desserts and confectionary.
Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson said:
“With Britain’s global reputation for quality and China’s increasing demand for Western-style food and drink, there is no better time to tap into the Asian market. I will be doing all I can to promote our products and make it easier for aspiring British entrepreneurs to strike new export deals with China.”
The food and drink industry contributed a staggering £96.1 billion to the UK economy last year, employing nearly four million people. It’s the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, creating more than 8,500 new products a year.
The UK is continuing to cash in on its global reputation for quality food and drink, increasing exports by nearly 50% in the past decade, to the value of £18.2 billion.
Defra and UKTI recently launched an international export action plan to encourage more food and drink companies to venture into overseas markets by getting the right support to business at home and championing British food abroad.
