Food & drink across the UK
A complex and diverse food system
The UK’s food and drink manufacturers are at the heart of a food and drink supply chain worth £155bn to the economy and employs almost 4.2 million people.
In the United Kingdom, the agri-food supply chain and food and drink manufacturing deliver, respectively:
- 6.3% of total UK GVA
- 1.5% of total UK GVA
Read about the work our members are doing across the UK below.
East of England
Nomad Foods
Established in 1949, Nomad’s Lowestoft factory is the largest private sector employer in the area with 800 colleagues and an apprenticeship programme in partnership with a local college.
The factory itself spans more than 25 acres and manufactures approximately 250 products across categories such as fish, chicken, potato, vegetables, and plant based. Around 10% of production is currently exported. Over the years, the site has seen increased investment, particularly in terms of sustainability initiatives, and now runs on 100% green electricity. Further investments in water treatment, low energy lighting and waste segregation have driven a double-digit reduction in carbon emissions at the site. The company is also currently exploring opportunities to supplement the green electricity with solar energy and wind power.
From a product perspective, continuous investment in innovation has led to the creation and manufacture of Birds Eye’s Chunky Fish Fingers and Steamfresh Meals range. Nomad Foods has also invested over £12m on a new poultry line at the site.
London
Tate & Lyle Sugars
Tate & Lyle Sugars produces over 650 different products, including Lyle’s Golden Syrup – an iconic British staple and the world’s oldest, unchanged brand.
Their products are sold to consumers globally, specialising in unique cane sugars and syrups. Tate & Lyle Sugars has been refining cane sugar at their Silvertown site in East London since 1878. With a commitment to building economic and social wealth in the community, they employ 850 people in skilled roles and are an accredited London Living Wage Employer.
Tate & Lyle Sugars are on a journey to becoming the most ethical and sustainable cane sugar refiner in the world, with a particular focus on ethical supply chains, decarbonisation, and circularity.
The sustainable sourcing of their raw material, raw cane sugar, is of upmost importance to the company and they aim to only purchase raw sugar from suppliers who are independently certified against internationally recognised sustainability standards. Creating innovative and recyclable packaging is also an essential goal, currently 94% of Tate & Lyle Sugars’ consumer packaging is already recyclable but they are now working towards ensuring that 100% of packaging found in customers’ homes will be recyclable by 2025. Finally, with further investment planned for decarbonisation, their aim is to be carbon neutral by 2040, reaching net zero by 2050. To do this, Tate & Lyle Sugars are now exploring and investing in new technologies to help the refinery decarbonise, including carbon capture as well as fuel-switching to renewables like hydrogen.
South East
Premier Foods
Premier Foods’ Ashford site employs around 400 people, operating 18 production lines and producing over 300 different products, including Angel Delight, Batchelors, Bird’s, Bisto, Smash, Marvel, Mr Kipling cake mixes, and Paxo.
Since acquiring the site in 2006, Premier Foods has invested significantly in automation, including automated case packers and palletisers, to enhance efficiency.
Premier Foods operates 13 manufacturing and office sites across the UK and plans to approximately double capital investment in its supply chain compared to two years ago, with Ashford among the sites benefiting. For 2024/25 it is forecast to be between £40-£45m for the business overall, up from £33m invested in 2023/24.
The site also plays a role in product innovation, including the development of non-HFSS recipes and products for our foodservice arm, used by chefs and caterers across the industry - from schools, hospitals, and care homes to pubs, restaurants, and cafés.
South West
Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I
Its Coleford factory in the Forest of Dean employs over 300 people and produces around 800 million drinks annually. It’s at this site that SBF GB&I has produced its famous Lucozade and Ribena soft drinks brands for generations – all of which are now non-HFSS.
The site operates with 100% renewable purchased energy, has two boreholes to minimise local resource use, and sends zero waste to landfill. Since 2015, SBF GB&I has cut its carbon footprint by over 25%, aiming for a 50% reduction by 2030 and net zero across Scope 1, 2, and 3 by 2050.
In 2024, SBF GB&I announced a £6 million investment to reduce the factory’s reliance on natural gas, securing its future as a key manufacturing hub site and employer in the region. A new energy model will upgrade the factory’s power connection from 11kV to 33kV, increasing its access to electricity from renewable sources.
East Midlands
Weetabix Food Company
Based in Northamptonshire since 1932, Weetabix Food Company is a key local employer, contributing to both the national and local economy while supporting community projects such as Magic Breakfast and Fareshare. Weetabix is the UK’s best-selling, most trusted, and most recommended cereal, packed with 100% wholegrain and fortified with vitamins and iron. The Weetabix food company is home to a family of brands that include the iconic Weetabix Crispy Minis, Alpen, Ready Brek, and Weetos.
The company produces 70 million Weetabix biscuits a week at its Northamptonshire mills.
Weetabix products are found in over a third of British homes and are exported to over 80 countries. Through the Wheat Protocol, Weetabix sources its wheat from farms within 50 miles of its mills, working closely with its Growers Group, who share the company’s commitment to sustainability. They are currently working with a pioneering group of growers to explore ambitious plans to further reduce the carbon footprint of wheat used to make Weetabix.
Sustainability is central to its strategy, known as the ‘Change for Even Better’ approach, which focuses on maximising its positive impact on the environment, business, and communities.
East Midlands
PepsiCo
PepsiCo’s Walkers factory in Leicester, founded in 1948, is one of the world’s largest crisp factories, employing over 1,200 people.
Since 2020, PepsiCo has invested over £140m in its UK manufacturing sites, reinforcing its commitment to the Midlands, where it employs over 2,100 people across Leicester, Coventry, and Lincoln. This investment focused on sustainability, facility upgrades for frontline workers, and a new production line for Walkers snacks, including a chickpea-based range. These new snacks contain less than 100 calories, 25% less salt than the average extruded product, and are a source of fibre.
Leicester is also home to one of PepsiCo’s six global R&D hubs, where products are reformulated and developed for the UK and international markets. Work at the Beaumont Park R&D facility has led to an 18% salt reduction in Sensations crisps.
In 2024, PepsiCo expanded the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) across its supply chain, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 13,000 tonnes. HVO generates 85% less emissions than conventional diesel, significantly reducing the environmental impact of transport operations.
West Midlands
Mondelēz International
Mondelēz International invested over £3.25 million in its Bournville site in 2024. As part of Cadbury’s 200th anniversary, £750,000 was allocated to refurbishing the Cadbury Archives, Cadbury Girls’ Grounds, and Bournville Concert Hall, celebrating the brand’s local heritage and revitalising key community assets.
The company also announced upgrades to its Global Centre of Excellence for Chocolate Research and Development. In 2024, 50 new Sensory Panellist (chocolate taster) roles were created at Bournville, which remains home to Mondelēz’s largest global R&D community, with over 400 food scientists, nutritionists, and engineers. Additionally, 85 young people joined the company’s early careers programmes as graduates, interns, or apprentices, supported by partnerships with Psalt and Upreach to attract diverse talent.
Mondelēz launched several non-HFSS products in 2024, including Cadbury Brunch Light (93 kcal per bar) and OREO No Added Sugar, launched after two years of research. In November 2024, Mondelēz announced that 300 million Cadbury sharing bars in the UK and Ireland would transition to 80% recycled plastic. In August 2024, it introduced paper-based outer packaging for Cadbury biscuit bags, reducing virgin plastic use by 145 tonnes and ensuring recyclability.
Yorkshire & the Humber
Nestlé
The Nestlé York site is a major campus housing a 24/7 confectionery factory, a head office, a distribution centre, a Cereal Partners Worldwide R&D Centre, and the Nestlé Product Technology Centre – a global hub for confectionery research and development.
Employing over 2,000 people from 30+ nationalities, Nestlé is York’s largest private employer. More than 55 apprentices, 15 graduates, and 5 placement students work at the site, with 58% of employees living within five miles.
The factory produces Aero, Polo, KitKat, and Yorkie. Nestlé has partnered with First Milk, a British farmer-owned dairy co-operative, since 2003 - which has ensured the sourcing high quality milk, an essential ingredient for KitKat chocolate, from local farms within 50 miles of Nestlé’s Girvan factory in Ayrshire. Working closely with First Milk means that Nestlé can support dairy farmers who are working hard to reduce carbon emissions and improve biodiversity on farmland. KitKat products made in York are exported to over 40 countries.
Nestlé have invested over £85 million in the York site over the past decade, including refurbished office space and factory machinery upgrades to increase production capacity. In early 2025, Nestlé announced a £5.2 million investment for new cranes and upgrades at the on-site distribution centre.
Locally in York, Nestlé partners with York Cares, WildHearts, and PhunkyFoods to support local communities, careers education, and sustainability initiatives.
Yorkshire & the Humber
Haribo
HARIBO is the UK’s leading sweets manufacturer and one of Yorkshire’s largest employers, operating two production sites in Pontefract and Castleford.
It employs 600 skilled staff across these sites, with an additional 100 colleagues in 11 retail stores across the UK.
In 2015, HARIBO invested £92m in a world-class manufacturing facility in Castleford, complementing its Pontefract site and strengthening UK production. A further £22m was invested in 2021 to increase capacity and efficiency. In 2023, two production lines reopened in Pontefract, while a new production and packing line is planned for Castleford in 2025. In October 2024, HARIBO began constructing a purpose-built warehouse in Castleford to manage increased volumes and safeguard 600 jobs.
As a responsible manufacturer, HARIBO invested millions in sugar reduction. Starmix and Tangfastics sweets contain 23% and 18% less sugar than similar brands. They have also recently launched TropiSlices (2024) and Alienauts (2025), making HARIBO the UK’s leading manufacturer of reduced-sugar sweets.
HARIBO UK exports to Europe and North America, including the Netherlands, Belgium, the Republic of Ireland, and the United States.
North East
KP Snacks
KP Snacks’ Billingham site is the proud home of some of its iconic brands, including McCoy’s, Pom-Bear, Hula Hoops Puft, and Discos.
Opened in 1969, KP’s largest site now employs over 700 people and continues to grow. KP continues to invest in the site, and is expanding the facility to boost production capacity, enhance efficiency and quality, and improve workplace facilities for its colleagues.
The site has a rich history of snack production. It began operations in 1969 and started producing Hula Hoops in 1971 before shifting production to Ashby in 1982. McCoy’s followed in 1985, and in 1989, the factory expanded to accommodate additional snack brands such as Frisps and Discos.
Further expansion in 2014 enabled in-house pellet production, allowing for the manufacture of Pom-Bear and Hula Hoops Puft. Today, the Billingham site produces an impressive 550 tonnes of snacks each week—equivalent to nearly 1 billion packets—solidifying its place as a key player in the UK snack industry.
North West
pladis
Originally known as the Carr’s brand, established in 1831 by Jonathan Dodgson (JD) Carr, the factory in Carlisle was built over six years and opened in 1837, making it the oldest biscuit factory in the world. The world’s first ever biscuit cutting machine was installed there in 1849.
pladis is renowned for producing the Carr’s Table Water Crackers which are traditionally baked - to this day - in a brick oven to ensure their unique thin and crispy texture.
As part of his marketing strategy, JD Carr supplied multiple expeditions with his Table Water biscuits, including the maiden voyage of the Titanic. The site itself is approximately 103,500 m² in size and currently employs over 850 permanent employees with an average length of service of 12.5 years. pladis produce 246 products across 19 process lines, annually making some 80,000 tonnes of product.
Scotland
Nairn's
Nairn’s continues to invest in its sites annually to maximise production and ensure long-term efficiency.
A recent control system replacement on an older oven extended its lifespan by 10 years at a fraction of the cost of a new unit.
Over the past year, Nairn’s has strengthened its team to support future growth, appointing a Marketing Director and Controller, creating a Board-level Head of HR role, and adding continuous improvement roles in Production and Supply Chain. An additional shift has been recruited to meet growing demand.
In early 2024, Nairn’s launched a Marmite & Cheese oatcake in collaboration with Unilever, successfully attracting younger consumers to the oatcake category.
Sustainability remains a priority, with investments in solar panels and voltage optimisation reducing power usage. On sunny days, the company’s gluten-free site can run entirely on solar power. A long-term agreement with Menzies Distribution Services has also cut food miles through more efficient transport routing and double-decker trailers. Nairn’s has a clear ESG strategy in place to drive further progress in the coming years.
Wales
Kellanova
In October 2024, Kellanova announced a £75m investment in the Kellogg’s factory in Wrexham – the largest investment in British cereal production in 30 years.
This will make the Wrexham plant Europe’s largest cereal factory, producing 1.5 million boxes per day and ensuring the continued UK production of iconic brands.
The investment will create at least 130 new jobs and support career development for 350 existing employees. It will also upgrade training facilities to provide employees with new skills and career progression opportunities.
Innovation remains key to Kellanova’s growth. In 2024, the company introduced Special K Crunchy Golden Clusters, high in fibre, and new variety Krave Choco Brownie flavour. In January 2025, it launched Oaties, a high fibre, wholegrain oat cereal that is family friendly and non-HFSS.
As part of the £75m investment in Wrexham, two advanced production lines will use AI and machine learning to lower energy consumption, reducing cereal production CO2 emissions by 11% annually – the equivalent of 600,000 trees.