UK cereal and bakery product exports rise

Exports of cereals and bakery products from the UK rose 3% to £986.9m in the first half of 2011, compared with £955.1m in the same period in 2010, according to a new report from the Food and Drink Federation.

Exports of sweet biscuits experienced the sharpest gain and went up 11% to £115.4m, while bread increased almost 11% to £45.6m.

Exports of savoury biscuits increased 7% to £15.8m, while breakfast cereals gained 5% to £196.3m.

Cake exports decreased 6% to £83.2m, as declines were recorded in the leading cake export markets: Ireland was down 6%, The Netherlands 6% and France 23%..

The export demand for bread was high in Germany and increased by 36%, in Sweden it went up 24% and in the UAE it rose by an impressive 517%.

The export demand for breakfast cereals was sharp in France and Italy, up 27% and 25% respectively, but exports fell by 1% in Ireland, which is the number one market.

Overall, total food and non-alcoholic drinks exports rose 13% in the first half of 2011 to £5,799.8m, up from £5,129.5m in the same period of 2010.