Tim Loughton MP (East Worthing and Shoreham) has joined Conservatives across the UK to show support for the Great British Food Campaign. The five-year campaign, led by Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss, will give a boost to chefs, entrepreneurs and food producers to promote British food and drink at home and abroad.
The campaign is well underway with 2016 designated the Year of Great British Food. As well as events across the world, such as a gin and English sparkling wine party in Chicago for the Queen’s 90th birthday, the campaign has already also held a food market at 10 Downing Street and launched a food trail to coincide with the second annual Cycle Tour de Yorkshire.
The Great British Food Unit will support the campaign, turbo-charging our exports, supporting inward investment and championing the excellence of British food and drink at home and abroad.
Already this Government has supported thousands of food and drink businesses to export almost £1 billion of their top-quality British produce to shops and restaurants around the world in the past two years. Total food and drink exports reached £19 billion in 2014 and we estimate these exports support up to 65,000 jobs in food and drink manufacturing. The Government supports the Food and Drink Federation’s export target to grow value-added food and drink exports by a third, which would achieve a total value of £6 billion by 2020.
Tim wants to build on this success and encourage even more East Worthing and Shoreham companies to sell their Great British produce around the world. To celebrate the rich heritage and iconic tradition of British food and drink, the Environment Secretary would also like to increase the number of Protected Food Names from 64 to 200.
To find out more about the campaign and how you can get involved please visit our website: http://www.greatbritishfoodcampaign.com/.
Tim commented:
“East Worthing and Shoreham has some of the very best produce that the UK has to offer and there has never been a more exciting time for the UK’s food and drink industry.
“It is now our largest manufacturing industry, bigger than cars and aerospace combined and I’m proud to be part of a Conservative party that will champion further growth for it.
“It is vital for our economic future that we make British food and farming all it can be – we will do that by backing big business, supporting local East Worthing and Shoreham start-ups and embracing our rich food heritage.”