“The secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside” – Mark Twain
Some great news for the industry this week with the suggestion that more than 5,600 extra jobs could be created by expanding food and drink companies in Scotland’s booming sector by 2018.
Bank of Scotland carried out research that showed the demand for new workers will increase as companies target new export markets.
The sector has targeted annual turnover of £12.5bn a year by 2017.
More than 100 firms with an estimated turnover of £6bn were surveyed. Two thirds said they expected to increase their workforce in the next five years.
A number of companies have shifted their target market from Western Europe to the Far East/Asia along with South America following the emergence of the Brazilian economy.
Scotland’s Food and Drink chief executive James Withers was full of praise for the outlook of the industry.
He said : “The food and drink industry has been Scotland’s best performing domestic sector in the past five years and is the fastest growing export sector.
“Ambitious sales and exports are in place for 2017, but the rapid progress so far means we are having to upscale our ambitions already.”
It’s pleasing to see the hard work of so many companies that produce high quality Scottish food paying off and hope that the thriving industry will encourage more people to take their homemade products to market.
What changes have you noticed within the food industry over the last five years? Have you noticed new foods from further afield on the shelves in your supermarkets?