Britain: An official handbook > 1993

MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
yoghurts, other dairy desserts and instant
snacks have formed the fastest-growing sector
of the food market in recent years. The
market in health and slimming foods also
continues to expand.
Production of milk was 14,075 million
litres in 1991, of which 6,900 million litres
was sold as liquid milk. Nearly 60 per cent of
households in Britain receive milk through a
doorstep delivery system employing about
32,000 people. Domestic milk consumption
per head—109 litres (1-91 pints) per week in
1991—is among the highest in the world.
Consumption of skimmed and semi-skimmed
milk continues to rise as people seek to
reduce the fat content in their diet.
The main milk products are butter
(111,710 tonnes produced in 1991), cheese
(301,760 tonnes), condensed milk (197,620
tonnes) and dried whole and skimmed milk
(205,925 tonnes). The British dairy industry
accounted for 63 per cent of new butter
supplies to the domestic market in 1991 and
68 per cent of new cheese supplies. Butter
exports in 1991 came to 39,640 tonnes and
cheese exports 50,700 tonnes. The other main
exports are skimmed milk powder and whole
milk powder (70,860 and 65,270 tonnes
respectively).
About 80 per cent of bread is
manufactured in large mechanised bakeries
using the British ‘Chorleywood’ process.
Overall consumption of bread has been in
long-term decline, although there is an
increasing demand for wholemeal varieties.
Around 40 per cent of sales consist of ‘own
label’ supermarket brands. Biscuit exports
were valued at £180 million in 1991.
Of major significance among the alcoholic
drinks produced in Britain is Scotch whisky,
which is one of Britain’s top five export
earners. There are 114 distilleries in
Scotland, where the best known brands of
blended Scotch whisky are made from the
products of single malt and single grain
whisky distilleries. Some 85 per cent of
Scotch whisky produced is exported, to 190
countries. The value of whisky exports was
over £1,830 million in 1991, Europe taking
32 per cent and the United States about 15
per cent by volume.
In 1991 purchases of beer in Britain
were valued at £11,600 million, about
3 per cent of total consumers’
expenditure.
The brewing industry has five major
brewery groups whose products are sold
nationally, and 160 local brewers. British
malt, which is made almost entirely from
home-grown barley, is used by brewers
throughout the world. Demand for traditional
cask-conditioned ales, which had been falling,
has now stabilised, while lager now accounts
for just over half of all beer sales.
Several companies produce up to 20
brands of soft drinks, which are marketed on
a national scale. Purchases of soft drink
products reached £2,324 million in 1991, a
rise of 54 per cent compared with 1986.
The British tobacco industry manufactures
99 per cent of cigarettes and tobacco goods
sold in Britain. Almost all domestic output is
provided by three major manufacturers
(Imperial Tobacco, Gallaher and Carreras
Table 13.10: Food, Drink and Tobacco
Exports Imports
(£ million) (£ million)
1991 1991
Food manufacturing 4,715 10,389
of which: meat and meat preparations n.a. 1,845
dairy products and eggs n.a. 871
cereals and animal feedstuffs n.a. 1,438
fruit and vegetables n.a. 3,002
Beverages 2,251 1,466
Tobacco 783 473
n.a. = not available.
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