Our quarterly reports highlight the latest trends in business confidence and key policy priorities.

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Report

State of industry report Q2 2024

Business confidence fell to -6% in Q2, the first negative result since Q2 2023. A sharp drop in SMEs’ confidence was the main driver of the overall fall in confidence.

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Report

State of industry report Q1 2024

Business confidence rose in Q1 to 20%, its highest level since the FDF began tracking it, showing some growing optimism for 2024.

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Report

State of industry report Q4 2023

The Q4 FDF net confidence score fell to 0%, the first decline in five quarters. The outlook confidence score for Q1 2024 is 31%. Businesses are more optimistic as they expect stability or improved market conditions.

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Report

State of industry report Q3 2023

The Q3 FDF net confidence score reached 6% in Q3, the first positive value since Q2 2021, a sign that market conditions have stabilised.

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State of industry report Q2 2023
Report

State of industry report Q2 2023

Significant labour shortages have cost businesses £1.4bn over the last year, with companies being forced to leave vacancies unfilled and reduce production.

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State of industry report Q1 2023
Report

State of industry report Q1 2023

The FDF net confidence score gained 17 percentage points in Q1, reaching -30%, reflecting mainly perceptions that market conditions have stabilised in Q1 compared to Q4.

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State of industry report Q4 2022
Report

State of industry report Q4 2022

Our latest State of the Industry survey highlights that while some pressures are starting to ease, business conditions for Britain’s food and drink manufacturers remain challenging, with companies expecting input costs to continue to rise by an average of 10% over the year.

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State of industry report Q3 2022
Report

State of industry report Q3 2022

Our latest State of the Industry survey highlights the number of challenges faced by Britain’s food and drink manufacturers, with companies seeing input costs increase by an average of 21% over the past 12 months, with a similar rise expected next year.

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State of industry report Q2 2022
Report

State of industry report Q2 2022

In Q2, food and drink manufacturers’ confidence fell to its lowest level since we started tracking it in Q1 2018, with the mood more pessimistic than at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Report

Business Confidence Survey Q3 2021

FDF’s newly-released Q3 2021 Business Confidence report shows that net business confidence among food and drink manufacturers fell by 55% in Q3 2021, returning to negative as a result of the ongoing labour shortages and supply chain disruptions.

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Business Confidence Survey Q2 2021

FDF’s newly-released Q2 2021 Business Confidence report shows that net business confidence among food and drink manufacturers rose by 10% in Q2 2021, turning positive for the first time since last summer, as a result of the UK Government’s successful vaccination programme and the reopening of the economy.

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Business Confidence Survey Q1 2021

FDF’s newly-released Q1 2021 Business Confidence report shows that net business confidence among food and drink manufacturers rose in Q1, but remained negative, reaching -14%. Businesses felt positive about the vaccination program and the prospect of reopening of hospitality in Q2.

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Business Confidence Survey Q4 2020

FDF’s newly-released Q4 2020 Business Confidence report shows that net business confidence among food and drink manufacturers fell in Q4, reaching -34% as a result of tougher COVID-19 restrictions and disruptions along the supply chain.

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Business Confidence Survey Q3 2020

The FDF’s newly-released Q3 2020 Business Confidence report shows that net business confidence among food and drink manufacturers bounced back in Q3 reaching 19.1% after a record low in Q2 2020.

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Business Confidence Survey Q2 2020

FDF’s newly-released Q2 2020 Business Confidence report shows that net business confidence among food and drink manufacturers fell to a record low in Q2, reaching -65%, which reflect the impact of COVID-19 on the UK economy.

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Business Confidence Survey Q1 2020

The latest FDF Business Confidence survey shows that net business confidence among food and drink manufacturers has significantly declined since Q4 2019, with 68% reporting a decline in business conditions in Q1 2020.

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