gordon ramsay 2 CREDIT gordonramsaysubmissions

Gordon Ramsay is promoting exports. Photo: Gordonramsaysubmissions

Exports – from the UK at least – and fresh produce have not been traditional bedfellows.

With the notable exception of seed potatoes, and to a lesser extent apples, British fruit and vegetables are only exported in insubstantial volumes, and until recently there has been little appetite to alter the status quo.

That’s all starting to change now. At Fruit Logistica this year, Daniel Rutstein of UK Trade & Industry told a special British reception of the government’s view that exports have a central role to play in growing the economy. 'We are seeing an increasing amount of product available for export and we want those numbers to go higher,' he stressed. 'We need to see more exports, as well as foreign investment in the UK.'

In a further notable initiative, UKTI held a Food & Drink Summit earlier this month to showcase British food to international buyers, with loudmouthed chef Gordon Ramsay enlisted to back the push.

“I am extremely passionate about supporting British suppliers on a global scale and will be working with a number of UK suppliers as we expand into Asia this September,” Ramsay said.

The GREAT Britain campaign is described as the UK government’s “most ambitious international marketing campaign ever”, taking place in over 144 countries. Last year the UK exported £1.8 billion of food and drink, though fresh produce only represented a small fraction of that.

UKTI is offering companies support and advice in understanding the nuances and complications of shipping abroad.

But surely, with the UK a food-insecure nation, there’s no need for British companies to be considering sending their produce abroad? Not the case, according to Steve Maxwell, chief executive at Worldwide Fruit.

“We are looking at exports,” he reveals. “We have some issues as in industry to overcome in terms of ensuring there is market access, but it’s something we have to look at. Looking at what we have [in the UK] on Gala and Braeburn, it looks like we might be more than food secure.”

The Potato Council has led the way in promoting British product abroad, with seed exports now generating £30 million for growers on the back of a 30 per cent increase in the past decade. The levy company has produced a fact sheet called ‘Seed Potatoes from Britain’ to emphasise the credentials of British product, including the Safe Haven certification scheme.

The UK’s record presence at Fruit Logistica –exhibitor numbers rose 15 per cent this year as the UK moved up to seventh in the ranking of exhibiting countries – underlines the growing interest in looking abroad.

While not suited to the most perishable of products, there are unquestionably a number of key lines where exporting could provide a very valuable extra income at a time when an overreliance on a single customer is a risk not many may be keen to take.