UK Output Producer Price Inflation Stood at 3.9% During the 12-months to apr’21
According to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), output producer price inflation (PPI) increased to 3.9% during the 12-months to apr’21, up from 2.3% during the 12-months to mar’21. Meanwhile, monthly output PPI stood at 0.4% in apr’21, compared to 0.8% in mar’21.
In terms of product groups, transport equipment provided the largest upward contribution of 1.8% and reported positive annual price growth of 0.4% in apr’21. Metals, machinery and equipment provided the second-largest upward contribution of 1.0% in apr’21.
Meanwhile, input PPI i.e. inflation for materials and fuels purchased by manufacturers, stood at 9.9% during the 12-months to apr’21, compared to 6.4% during the 12-months to mar’21. Metals and non-metallic minerals provided the largest upward contribution of 4.2% to the input PPI during the same period. The monthly input PPI rate in apr’21 stood at 1.2%, compared to 1.9% in mar’21.
UK Government Launched Tariff Suspension Scheme
The UK government has launched its own tariff suspension scheme on certain products to help UK companies become more globally competitive. When the UK was a member of the EU, companies had to submit applications to the bloc to request suspensions, which was then to be assessed by all member states. now, as an independent trading nation, the UK government has established its own tariff regime.
Under the new scheme, from jun’21 onwards, companies based in the UK or Crown dependencies will be able to apply for temporary reduction or withdraw of duties for a set period on the products they import. This will help in lowering their production costs. The suspension on any import will be based on the criteria set by the government and on the needs of companies in the UK and the wider economy. The suspensions are expected to apply from early 2022.
Manufacturers to Cut Sugar from Food and Drink Products
According to a report published by Mintel, an increasing number of food and drink manufactures in Europe are seeking ‘no added sugar’ claims. UK manufacturers, which claim to have no added sugar in their products, account for the highest share in the European market at 15% in 2021, followed by Germany at 13% and France at 10%.
The report also indicated that governments across Europe are encouraging manufacturers to cut sugar content via product reformulation. In the UK, the government has advised food and drink manufacturers to reduce sugar content in the products that contribute at least 20% of sugar intake for most of the children.
According to the report, functional fibre and stevia are expected to be the two most common natural alternatives for sugar. The report further highlighted that the use of functional fibre in food and drink by manufacturers has increased over the years. In 2020, 20% of new launched products contained functional fibre compared to 11% in 2015.
Statistics on obesity, physical activity and diet 2021
NHS Digital has published statistics on obesity, physical activity and diet in England (2021). The report presents newly published information on obesity-related hospital admissions and the number of prescription items provided in primary care for the treatment of obesity.
The Disability Confident Scheme
The Disability Confident scheme supports employers make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to your workplace. Find out more and sign up here.
Hear how Disability Confident Leader, Coca-Cola European Partners, have supported Mo, a merchandiser, into work after 18 years of unemployment, and how reasonable adjustments have helped Christine stay in her role as Sales Manager, after her MS diagnosis. Click here.
You can also support the video on LinkedIn and Facebook.
New guide on HRFNAO and advice on Private Attestations when exporting from GB to Ireland
We have produced a new guide which provides information for traders exporting High-Risk Foods Not of Animal Origin (HRFNAO) to the EU or moving them to NI. As a reminder, there is a HRFNAO process map which explains the steps you need to take for exporting these types of goods. All guidance is available on our showcase site.
We have also worked together with the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in Ireland to outline some tips for traders to help ensure that consignments of composite products using the Private Attestation can be processed at Irish Border Control Posts (BCP) as quickly as possible. The guidance can be found here.
Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) leaflet
If you move certain agri-food products from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI), there are new rules under the NI Protocol that you need to follow. The Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) can support you by providing: A dedicated helpline that provides advice and guidance on the new rules
Financial support by reimbursing some of the direct certification costs that would be incurred by you for moving agri-food products and equines under the new requirements
Full details of the MAS are set out in this leaflet.
Employers unite to encourage over a million staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine
Leading employers across the UK including Asda, IKEA and Santander come together to encourage their staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine when eligible. Read more here.
Employers unite to encourage over a million staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine
Leading employers across the UK including Asda, IKEA and Santander come together to encourage their staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine when eligible. Read more here.
‘Every Vaccination gives us hope’ campaign
As part of the new national Government campaign on the Covid-19 vaccine, ‘Every Vaccination gives us hope’ we have developed an employer toolkit to help ensure employers and their staff get access to reliable and accurate information about the Covid-19 vaccine.
We would ask that you use these resources, consisting of key messages, vaccine fact sheets, informative Q&A, videos, posters and many more, to run an internal awareness campaign and to ensure staff have access to NHS-verified advice on the vaccine.
It would be great if your organisation can support this campaign. We would also ask you to pledge your support to be as flexible as possible in supporting your staff to get the vaccine and play your part in the UK’s biggest vaccination programme in NHS history.
The employer toolkit can be downloaded here: coronavirusresources.phe.gov.uk/covid-19-vaccine/resources/employer-toolkit/ |
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DEFRA Links and reminders:
Digital assets for food and drink businesses
We publish digital assets on our Food and Drink Dropbox Paper page. These include a webinar talking through guidance on Rules of Origin for agri-food businesses and FAQs covering key information on Rules of Origin and food labelling. There will be further updates to the products hosted on the Dropbox Paper page over the next few weeks, so please do return to the page to ensure you are viewing the latest content.
Moving Goods Trader Showcase migration
The online Trader Showcase site that you’ve been using to find out about the new rules for moving goods to Northern Ireland and exporting to the EU has been migrated to two new locations, which you can access by using the links below:
The new Trader Showcase has been developed using Dropbox Paper, which usually requires users to have an account to access content. We recommend opening a free account – which involves a basic registration process – if you don’t already have one.
The new Trader Showcase site works with most modern browsers, but is best viewed using Chrome, Firefox, Safari and the latest two versions of Edge.
Links to Defra’s Exporter Journey GB to EU Webinars
Links to our recorded webinars on the GB to EU Exporter Journey are now available on YouTube. Please share with anyone who may find this information useful. The topics are:
Reminder: Join the NI-GB Food Supply Chain Forum
Defra has established a new weekly industry forum for all businesses within the agri-food supply chain and moving goods between Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI). It aims to create a community for open discussion of issues affecting business. It will focus on operational implementation issues in the main and ensure the open communication of relevant policy and delivery developments associated with movements into and from NI.
We would like this community to be as representative as possible so would welcome registrations from the wide range of organisations involved in moving agri-food goods from GB to NI and NI to GB. See our registration of interest form here.
The Federation of Bakers (FOB) is delighted to welcome BAKER & BAKER Products UK Ltd as a new associate member.
BAKER & BAKER is a European leader in the bakery convenience segment, operating across 11 sites in seven countries, with around 2,500 employees and an annual turnover in excess of €400m. Its UK headquarters are based on the Wirral in the North West of England.
BAKER & BAKER manufacture a broad range of high quality own label and branded bakery products including 2,500 different bakery SKUs to meet the needs of customers and consumers in markets across Europe.
Formerly known as CSM Bakery Solutions, BAKER & BAKER operates within four key channels; food service, retail, bakery and wholesale, equipping our customers with innovative products and the necessary category management and sales support to succeed.
