Executive Summary
The Northwest Food & Drink Strategy is for the Food and Drink sector in England’s Northwest, which has a £98 billion economy with 6.8 million people and 230,000 firms. It is the home to the largest media hub outside London (Manchester ), one of the world’s most famous waterfronts (Liverpool ), the largest concentration of advanced manufacturing and chemicals production in the UK (Lancashire and Cheshire ) and to one of Europe’s leading national parks (The Lake District ). It has a thriving Food and Drink sector which contributes £9.5bn GVA to the economy of the region.
The Northwest Food & Drink Strategy covers the entire Food and Drink sector from consumers back to the farm. The strategy has been developed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency , the Northwest Food Alliance, Government Office for the North West and other key stakeholders, on behalf of the industry.
The 2006 Northwest Regional Economic Strategy (RES) has identified Food and Drink as a priority growth sector for the region. The RES prioritises actions to address the regional productivity gap of £13bn in ways which are sustainable, and economically and socially inclusive. This strategy sets out how the Northwest Food and Drink sector can support the actions within the RES including the wider aspects of supporting economic growth in tourism and the rural economy, and improving the health of people in the region. Sustainability is a key theme of the 2006 RES and a number of policy documents from DEFRA focus on sustainability in the food sector.
The Northwest region is diverse both in terms of its economy, its geography and its people. In many ways it represents a microcosm of the UK economy. This diversity is both a strength and a challenge especially when determining the priorities for action. The Northwest Food and Drink Strategy addresses the opportunities based on what is different about the sector in the Northwest and also considers how national policies apply to the region. It is also important to consider how policy decisions at a national/EU level can be influenced. Overall the Northwest Food and Drink Strategy has a regional balance but within that it has to show how different actions will take place in the urban and rural parts of the region, the affluent areas and the areas of deprivation, and how it will benefit all sections of the population.
Much consultation and research have taken place and this final document follows on from the original 2001 Northwest Food and Drink sector strategy. Most of the actions identified in 2001 are complete. There are new challenges to be addressed and this document seeks to identify those appropriate to the Northwest Food and Drink sector.
The Northwest Food and Drink Strategy outlines the priorities for 2006-2011, which are:-
- To develop value added activities to meet the changing consumer and supplier demands.
- To increase the productivity of food businesses across the region by enhanced collaboration with science and technology, education and training and to meet their future needs by providing a skilled workforce.
- To improve the provision and access to healthier food for all sections of society in the Northwest.
- To identify and promote the benefits to business of achieving environmental sustainability.
- To promote a prosperous sustainable farming and food sector that contributes to the environment and social well being of the region.
- To promote a positive image of the Food and Drink sector and its contribution to the image of the Northwest as a good place to be.
Our vision is:-
To promote a profitable and sustainable Northwest food and drink industry that improves its competitiveness in a global market place.
The Northwest is the number one region in the UK for Food and Drink in terms of Gross Valued Added (GVA). We aim to remain number one and broaden our margin over our nearest rivals.