Celebrating Welsh food and drink

specialityfoodmagazine.com 5 WALES COMMUNITY FOOD STRATEGY In line with its Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, in the past 12 months theWelsh Government has launched a new initiative to strengthen the bonds between producers and local communities as well as the health of people and the land: the Wales Community Food Strategy. Designed to promote social inclusion and sustainable production and attack the issues of food poverty and obesity by improving understanding of and access to high quality fresh and healthy produce, the Wales Community Food Strategy is a thoroughly inclusive and forward-thinking view on the social power that food holds. HMRC and an increase of £26 million (3%) from 2023. The data also showed that the hunger for Welsh food and drink is particularly strong in the EU, with 76% of exports heading there as opposed to 58% for the UK. Invaluable support The confidence and know-how required to play such a powerful role on the domestic and global stage is no doubt at least in part due to the support given to food and drink businesses, of all sizes and persuasions, by the Welsh Government. The suite of support offered to them is highlighted on page 14, and the value of this is reflected in the data. The scale of the Welsh food and drink industry, not to mention its impressive growth, gives one pause for thought, but the following fact truly stops anyone who questions the power of Wales’ domestic food and drink sector in their tracks: In 2021, the Welsh Government set the target of increasing the value of the ‘food foundation’ sector – which covers businesses which produce, process, manufacture and wholesale food and drink products, some of which receive direct support from Food & Drink Wales – to £8.5 billion by 2025. This target was met (and then some), with the sector’s value hitting £10.2 billion in 2024. With generous support from Government already firmly in place, and a continuous roster of new forward- thinking plans being put into practice – see details of the Wales Community 87% OF FOOD AND DRINK MANUFACTURERS IN WALES ARE SMALL OR MICRO BUSINESSES , AND THE VALUE OF THE FOOD FOUNDATION SECTOR WAS £10.2 BILLION IN 2024 SOURCE: FOOD & DRINK WALES Food Strategy right– it’s no wonder that Wales is a destination for all corners of the food and drink world; from large- scale international brands to grassroots businesses and the passionate food lovers they serve.