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The food and drink industry is one of the world’s largest manufacturing sectors and an integral part of the world’s social, economic and cultural mix. As well as contributing to the economic development of nations, manufacturers have a key strategic role to play in ensuring fair trade between nations and future food security against the combined effects of climate change, higher global demand and increasing pressure on finite resources.

In an uncertain market environment, ensuring the highest quality and food safety, improving prosperity and fair trade agreements require the industry, policymakers and society to work together towards these goals. There is also a need for an increased emphasis within the industry and its full supply chain network on the broader social and economic impact of food and drink production, distribution, purchasing and consumption.

In this chapter, the authors undertake a literature and secondary data review and analyse what makes the European food and drink industry one of the world’s leading manufacturing sectors. This chapter provides an overview of the industry and the current state of the sector. It covers issues relating to manufacturing, consumers’ purchasing behaviours, distribution, marketing and retail, and the wider environmental trends, structures and economics of the industry. Finally, it presents some likely future trajectories in terms of social, consumer and regulatory trends, such as technological, marketing and production practices that develop and, in many cases, lead to new business models and paradigms.

This paper reviews the nature, extent, and determinants of the overseas operations of the British food and drink processing industries with a view to analysing the competitiveness of the sector in international markets.

Despite the economic downturn, the Northern Ireland agri-food sector has remained resilient experiencing export growth, particularly in emerging economies. The sector recognises that to maintain its competitive advantage in both existing and new markets it will require a business strategy focused on product, service and process innovation. The purpose of this paper is to explore how firms within the sector consider how this will impact upon future skills and training needs and identifies where the industry considers the appropriate policy interventions are required.

A survey was undertaken to explore how innovation and technology adoption within the agri-food and drinks sector is impacting on educational and skills requirements. In total, 30 companies were interviewed, providing representation from all the food and drinks sub-sectors and covering at least 50 per cent of employee numbers in each sub-sector. The survey focuses on current and future skills requirements for specific cohorts of employees in the sector; specifically those who have undertaken further full-time training beyond minimum school leaving age. In addition, it aimed to seek employer feedback on those entering the labour market for the first time.

The results support the need for strong intermediate levels of educational attainment. In addition, the acquisition of work-related generic skills is essential for creating a more “flexible” and multi-skilled workforce. Up-skilling programmes, particularly for lower to mid-level management roles, will become increasingly important in the future. Experience gained through work placement and vacation and weekend work is viewed very positively. Companies expressed a greater need for engagement between the further and higher education sectors and industry in relation to the content, design and delivery of educational programmes to adequately meet the needs of the sector.

At a time when government is looking to growth in the private sector to stimulate economic growth in the wider economy, this paper highlights the skills and training challenges which have emerged within the Northern Ireland agri-food sector, in response to business strategies which are more focused on product, service and process innovation.

The purpose of this paper it to explore the future of Europe's food and drink manufacturing sector

Using mainly secondary sources, the paper identifies trends and drivers of change, explores possible alternative futures through scenarios, and considers policy implications.

Europe's food sector is undergoing dramatic change and future policies will be increasingly geared towards preventing non‐communicable diseases resulting from poor diet while ensuring the safety of food and feed. This will require a radical shift away from the productionist paradigm of the past, with emphasis in the future being placed on the impact of food on health and the environment.

The paper is based mainly on existing sources.

Provides a broad overview of the wide range of issues facing the food and drink manufacturing sector.

This paper aims to present a profile of innovation in food sector SMEs in the UK, exploring specifically the degree and types of innovation employed, and engagement with activities that support innovation orientation, or organisational innovativeness.

A questionnaire‐based survey was conducted to gather data from food sector SMEs in the UK. The questionnaire design was informed by previous studies on degree and types of innovation, and the characteristics of innovativeness. Questionnaires were distributed and gathered by hand and online in order to optimise response. A total of 221 usable responses were received and analysed using SPSS.

Food sector SMEs are more focused on incremental innovation as opposed to radical innovation, and they are also more engaged in product and process innovations than in packaging, position and paradigm innovations. In terms of innovation characteristics, SMEs agree that they are usually committed to the majority of a wide range of factors that affect innovation orientation, but most important amongst these are a commitment to encouraging new ideas, and cultivating innovative employees.

Although the food and drink sector plays an important role within the UK economy, innovation in food sector SMEs has received little previous attention. This paper makes an important contribution by profiling innovation, according to type, and innovation characteristics in food sector SMEs in the UK. In addition, it demonstrates the importance of developing understanding of the management of innovation portfolios embracing a range of types and degrees of innovation.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the application of the fundamental principle of accounting conservatism within the EU food and drink industry. Furthermore, the authors would also investigate in-depth the above relationship in two different subsamples (income smoothers and non-income smoothers).

All EU-listed companies of the food and drink industry were identified covering the year 2019. Eckel's model was used to classify listed companies as smoothing or non-smoothing, and Basu's model was adopted to test the degree of conditional conservatism.

The results indicate that conservatism is strongly present in food and drink industry and also in its subindustries. We also showed that non-smoothing firms had higher levels of conditional conservatism in terms of more opportunity to recognize future economic losses because the market could use the stock return data to anticipate future losses contained in the information regarding profits.

One limitation of this work is the small size of the investigated companies. The authors demonstrate that the likely increased use of conservatism produces better credibility in the EU markets. Practical implications indicate a higher degree of monitoring of the accounting practices adopted by firms. Regulators have to set accounting policies to enhance the quality of the informational environment, investors and shareholders might exercise control over executives' decisions, and lenders might impose contractual clauses requiring the timely disclosure of “bad news.”

This industry is “belted” from any external speculations. This research made it possible also to observe theoretical relationships between the financial information provided by the EU food and drink industry that contributes to the market distinction between smoothers and non-smoothers.

Introduces the Food Advertising Unit (FAU), a coalition of multinational food companies, advertising agencies and the broadcast media which operates under the auspices of the Advertising Association as a centre for information and research on advertising for children; and the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) which represents the UK food and soft drinks industry. Reports research on the effect of television advertising of food products on children which suggests that there is only a slight direct effect, but the November 2005 White Paper is prioritising new restrictions on food and soft drink advertising to children, and the industry accepts the need for advertising code changes and for a holistic approach to behavioural change through education. Describes the work of the Food and Soft Drink Advertising and Promotions Forum, led by the Department of Health. Outlines positive approaches under way by individual companies such as Turner Broadcasting as well as by public service broadcasting. Argues that there must be proportionality in new government restrictions, given that their positive effects on children’s health may be far smaller than their adverse effects on the industry.

This paper aimed to examine the relationship between green logistics management (GLM) practices and export intensity of Thai SMEs in food and drinks manufacturing. The research involved carrying out in-depth interviews with ten experts to shed light on factors of GLM practices. The authors used a questionnaire to survey the data amongst 89 SME exporters through purposive sampling with valid 52 responses. The managerial issues related to export intensity, GLM practices, with regards to whether firms followed ISO 14001 and whether they had an employee(s) responsible for environmental management. The findings suggest that greater GLM practices being applied lead to higher export intensity in SME. The results indicate that most SMEs apply GLM practices in all dimensions to gain the benefits from the export market. It also emerged that those following ISO 14001 and/or having an employee(s) were associated with having higher export intensity than those who did not engage in these practices.

Consider the question posed in the title from the viewpoint of an investment banker based with J.P. Morgan, who has advised clients in the food and drinks industry over various transactions. Reviews past activity in mergers and acquisitions as a need for consolidation to gain market advantage and economics of scale; and access into the wider European market. Advises that further restructuring and consolidation is necessary and inevitable in an industry which is still fragmented; and that acquiring products and brands which are market leaders is still a better option than trying to create new ones. Considers in depth the influencing factors and the opportunities to possess focused product portfolios, category leadership and pan‐European markets. Draws on examples of major companies which have practical sound acquisition strategies, fast de‐leveraging after acquisition and created long‐term shareholder value.