NI Food & Drink Firms Target French Market

The best of the Province's food and drinks industry has shipped out to Paris this week as part of a drive to help local food companies win business in France.

This latest Government-backed initiative is being rolled out by Invest Northern Ireland over the next six months and includes a major presentation of local food and drink at a gigantic exhibition in the French capital with 20 companies today visiting SIAL 2008, the world's biggest food and drink showcase.

They are taking part in a the first of a series of events targeting the French capital, later including a visit to Northern Ireland by a delegation of top buyers from French grocery and food services companies.

This follow-up inward initiative for French buyers will take place over two days in January and will allow local companies which have participated in the events surrounding SIAL to have one-to-one meetings with selected buyers here at Invest NI's headquarters in Belfast.

The initiative has been developed jointly by Invest NI's Food and Trade divisions with Maynard Mawhinney, Invest NI's Food Director, commenting on the programme: "France is one of Europe's biggest and most discerning markets for food and drink products. In 2007, for example, the market was worth around £120 billion and was dominated by retail spending.

"The country also imports food and drink worth over £20 billion annually, with the UK supplying around 6%," he said, noting that around 80% of purchases are now made in the nation's extensive network of hypermarkets and supermarkets.

"Foodservices is worth around £43 billion annually, with the key growing product sectors being sandwiches and snacks, semi-prepared and prepared meals, drinks, seafood, value-added meat and poultry, and ethnic food," he said.

(BMcC)