Britain: An official handbook > 1977

INDUSTRY
237
Confectionery
Bacon Curing,
Meat and Fish
Products
Fruit, Vegetable
and Other
Products
Beverages
Tobacco
The cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery industry is composed of a small
number of very large manufacturers and many medium-sized and small firms.
A substantial proportion of total world exports of chocolate and sugar con¬
fectionery are supplied by Britain.
The industry comprises the curing of bacon and ham, the canning and pre¬
serving of meat and fish, the manufacture of sausages and pies and the
preparation of extracts and pastes. In addition to the output of quick-frozen
fish, small quantities are also canned.
Fruit and vegetable products include canned, frozen and dried fruit and
vegetables, jam, marmalade, pickles and sauces. Other products of the food
processing industry include sugar, sugar preparations and honey, dairy
products and eggs, vegetable and animal oils and fats, coffee, cocoa, tea and
spices and cereal preparations.
Of prime importance among the alcoholic beverages produced in Britain, and
in the food and drink industry as a whole, is whisky. Scotch whisky, which
accounts for almost all whisky production in Britain, was first distilled in the
fifteenth century; most well-known brands are blends of anything between 15
to 40 different single whiskies, some distilled from malted barley and some from
other grains. Scotch whisky is required by law to be kept in wooden casks for
at least three years, but is usually matured for an average of five years. About
four-fifths of annual sales are to overseas buyers; the United States imports
nearly half of the distilled alcoholic beverages exported from Britain. Japan is
the second largest market. Production of gin in Britain has risen steadily since
the early 1950s. One company accounts for a large proportion of output. Some
of the larger manufacturers also own distilleries abroad.
In the brewing and malting industry there are seven major brewery groups
whose products are sold nationally and a number of smaller enterprises who
mainly supply locally. Firms have introduced new production methods,
including continuous brewing processes, and automated batch production
plants are well established. The main raw materials used are malt, hops and
some sugar. Malt is made almost entirely from home-grown barley. Some
brewers make their own malt, others buy it from independent maltsters, who
also supply distillers, vinegar brewers and malt extract manufacturers. British
malt is used by brewers throughout the world.
Three major groups account for much of the cider and perry produced in
Britain. The industry is based in Devon, Somerset and Herefordshire. A small
viticultural industry produces wine from grapes grown in vineyards in England.
Imported grape and fruit juices are used in the production of most of the
limited quantity of made wine.
The soft drinks industry has expanded markedly in the last decade. There
are some very large firms among about 20 producing brands which are marketed
on a national scale, while other firms supply regional markets. There is some
specialisation among firms in the production of various types, such as car¬
bonated drinks, cola-based drinks, squashes and cordials, tonic waters and
‘mixers’, fruit juices and health drinks.
The tobacco industry manufactures almost all the cigarettes and tobacco goods
sold in Britain. Two big manufacturing groups account for over 90 per cent of
total output. Exports, mainly of cigarettes, are shipped to a large number of
overseas markets, including Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands and Belgium.