Scotland’s food and drink industry generated a record turnover of £14.3bn in 2013, the Scottish Government’s food secretary Richard Lochhead announced.
The figure was up £550 million on the year before, has increased by 24% since 2008 and is on track to meet the industry’s turnover target of £16.5bn by 2017.
Food and drink manufacturing – which accounts for about three quarters of the total turnover figure – is said to have grown twice as fast since 2008 in Scotland as in the UK as a whole.
On a visit to the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group in Bellshill, Lochhead said:
“Our food and drink growth sector is a spectacular Scottish success story with turnover reaching a record high in 2013. To surpass £14 billion for the first time is simply outstanding and must give the sector real confidence.”
Scotland Food and Drink chief executive James Withers said: “Breaking £14bn for the first time is a hugely important milestone. Behind that huge figure lies individual success stories with food and drink business both large and small thriving in domestic market and international markets.”
