Are better times around the corner for the UK’s food and drink exporters?

This year’s International Food & Drink Event (IFE) comes at a significant moment for the sector.

As I wrote earlier in the year, the UK’s food and drink exporters have been faced with various challenges over the last decade – from Brexit to the pandemic to Trump’s tariffs.

Since that article, the US and Israel have begun their military offensive in Iran, which is set to cause further disruption for the sector. The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is set to drive up fertiliser prices, as well as disrupting goods movements into and out of the Middle East.

Yet, despite this, there are many cause for optimism for UK food and drink exporters.

Causes for optimism

First of all, the UK and EU are continuing to negotiate a ‘reset’ of post-Brexit trade ties, part of which involves the creation of a new Common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Area that would significantly reduce trade friction with our closest trading partner.

Secondly, the UK’s free trade agreement (FTA) with India is about to enter force.

At a recent Global Trade Live webinar that I hosted for the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade, a senior official from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said that this deal provides UK businesses with a “significant competitive advantage” in one of the fastest growing and largest economies in the world.

“The agreement's going to cut tariffs on UK exports to India by £400m on day one, and that's going to rise to £900m by year 10, as other tariffs are phased down over time,” said David Johstone, the head of FTA utilisation at DBT.

Thirdly, despite the regulatory and logistical challenges UK food and drink has faced over the last few years, international demand for British exports remains high. Indeed, in the first half of 2025, Food and Drink Federation figures found that export volumes had risen 7.2% year-on-year.

A big year at IFE

It’s for this reason that I’m particularly looking forward to IFE 2026 this year.

On the Monday (30 March) I will be talking with Joe Goldsworthy, our food and drink trade expert, about how FTAs, like the one with India, can help exporters unlock new markets globally on the Business Growth Stage.

Then, on the Tuesday (31 March), Joe and I will be joined on the same stage by some of our members to discuss how they’ve navigated the last few years of disruptions to continue trading internationally.

This includes Adriana Santos, head of international at Tracklements, Sophie Lavis, European compliance and customs manager at Flora Food Group, and Glen Marriott, commercial controller at The Village Bakery Wrexham.

Each of these exporters has a great story to tell about how they’ve navigated challenges in the sector and helped their companies to thrive internationally. They are certain to inspire anyone attending to look to international markets as a source of growth for their business.

Making the most of opportunities

They will also have great advice to share. In a recent interview with my colleague Danielle Keen, Glen gave great tips on how to succeed internationally.

“Don’t spread yourself too thin”, he said. “Pick your market and then do your homework upfront”.

“When you do decide on a market, if you can, get out there and visit in person to see what's going on.”

He also had some great advice about the importance of finding the right partners, including a freight forwarder to support with the logistical aspects of trade.

“It’s a bit of an adventure into the unknown to start off with, but once it's up and running, it tends to flow very smoothly.”

Sophie has also shared some great tips with us. A graduate from the UK Customs Academy, an online training platform co-run by the Chartered Institute, she has spoken to us about how she embraced becoming a “customs nerd” during the post-Brexit transition period to help her company navigate new rules and compliance requirements as effectively as possible.

Making the most of shows like IFE

And, in the run-up to IFE, Adriana shared some great advice with me about how to make the most of international tradeshows like IFE.

“Whether you are visiting or exhibiting, planning is key,” she told me.

“Do your research to ensure the show you are planning to attend, or exhibiting is right for you.

“Have clear set out objectives and prepare accordingly. Plan meetings in advance with both existing and potential customers (where possible) and if you are exhibiting use the power of social media to drive visitors to your stand.

“Please remember that ROI from a show is not only about the number of sales achieved, but the value you are also getting out of it (e.g. opportunity to meet customers that you may not see on a regular basis = savings on travel costs).”