Australian suppliers are using the launch of a new initiative from Austrade called 'G’dayUK' to take advantage of UK consumers' demands for more choice in their food and wine.
G’dayUK is a series of Australian events and promotions in the UK from 24-30 June 2009 that form part of a broader strategy to strengthen relations with the UK, one of Australia’s key export and investment markets.
Senior Trade Commissioner for Australia, Kylie Hargreaves, said UK consumers were sophisticated, well-travelled, health-conscious and positive about Australia.
"By tapping into key UK food and beverage trends, Australian suppliers can harness that level of sophistication to design and develop innovative product that can compete anywhere on the global stage,” she said.
The predicted trend in ‘free-from’ foods has already been realised in the Australian domestic market. Gluten-free pasta and sausages, dairy-free drinks and wheat-free baked goods are all available alongside ‘standard’ variants, unlike in the UK, where free-from products are typically found in a stand-alone ‘health food’ section, even in the major multiples.
Despite this niche status, the UK is showing signs of becoming a highly profitable market for free-from producers, going from a modest starting point to record double-digit value and volume sales growth in recent years.
According to market analysts Mintel, over the past five years, the UK free-from foods market has grown dramatically, by more than 300 per cent, and gluten-free and other healthful food sales remain resilient in the face of slower sales in some other food categories.
Products that provide health benefits as well as convenience are also predicted to become more prevalent as consumers demand more from convenience food in the UK.
Time pressures emerging from longer working hours, more active lifestyles and lengthier commutes to and from work are driving sales of convenience food and drink.
By 2015, the UK takeaway and convenience food sector is predicted to experience double-digit growth to reach a value of £12.3bn.
Hargreaves said there was a huge range of premium, innovative Australian products available in both gourmet stores and supermarkets in the UK and demand keeps growing.
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