The first half of 2025 has been marked by renewed uncertainty for international traders, as US tariffs and geopolitical instability have hit global trade. However, international appetite for the UK’s food and drink products remains strong, as consumers flock to buy ‘brand Britain’.
In the Chartered Institute for Export & International Trade’s customs whitepaper, ‘Growing Trade’, trade and customs specialist Joseph Goldsworthy offered five key strategies for boosting your food and drink exports in 2025.
The free guide covered a number of different areas – including taking advantage of free trade agreements (FTAs), labelling your products and perfecting your paperwork – explaining how to make sure your food and drink trade survives and thrives this year.
Labelling
The third major strategy for boosting your exports is to label your goods correctly.
When entering a new market for the first time, it is vital to ensure that the labelling on your food and drink products meet the criteria set out by the importing country’s authorities.
This is usually the responsibility of either the ‘Food Business Operator’ or ‘Importer of Record’ based in the country of import.
Incoterms
Incoterms can play a vital role, not just in setting the terms of trade between the buyer and seller, but also in determining the responsibility and costs associated with labelling food products.
These terms dictate where liability begins and ends for both the buyer and seller, and can be used to ensure no hidden costs arise when exporting to a new market.
The Chartered Institute’s half-day Incoterms course gives traders a thorough grounding in this often-misunderstood part of international trade and can be accessed at a discount for Chartered Institute members.
Local requirements
It is important to understand what the local requirements are when exporting food to a new market.
The labelling requirements for the EU (regulation 1169/2011) are very different to those set out by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for example.
Preparation is key, and dialogue between both parties is fundamental to ensure that your food and beverage products are suitably labelled for the target market. Labelling requirements have proven to be somewhat dynamic in recent years.
New import requirements (and cancellations) have meant traders have had to stay alert to government policy.
Tools
Members of the Chartered Institute, meanwhile, can enjoy extra Daily Update member-exclusive content, insights and explainers on the most important customs changes and requirements, as well as deep-dives on tariffs.
Our International Trade Technical Helpline offers even more tailored support to Chartered Institute business members. It provides a direct helpline to experts in every aspect of preparing your goods for export – you can find out more here.
If you’re not currently a Chartered Institute member and you’d like to benefit from member-exclusive content to improve your FTA knowledge, as well as access a host of other products, explore membership with us here.
The Chartered Institute is also hosting a free webinar on growing your food and drink exports at 2pm on 21 May. You can sign up here.
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