UK food and drink statistics for 2025 reveal a sector that is moving in two directions at once, with demand shifting and costs still putting pressure on margins. One headline figure stands out for 2025, and it helps explain why suppliers, retailers, and manufacturers are making very different choices across categories. Let’s look at the key data points behind that tension and what they mean for the year ahead.
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Consumer Trends and Consumption
1UK households consume 85kg of fruit and veg per person annually 2022
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2Average UK adult drinks 2.2 litres of soft drinks weekly 2022
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362% of UK consumers buy plant-based alternatives weekly 2023
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4UK meat consumption per capita 75.5kg annually down 5% since 2015
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528% growth in low/no alcohol beer consumption 2022-2023
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645% of UK shoppers prioritize sustainability in food purchases 2023
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7Ready meals consumption up 15% post-pandemic to 2.5kg per person monthly
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873% of UK consumers snack between meals daily 2023
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9Organic food purchases by 19 million UK consumers annually 2022
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1035% increase in functional food consumption for health benefits 2022
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11UK average sugar intake 63g daily exceeding WHO 50g recommendation
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1256% of consumers prefer local produce in supermarkets 2023
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13Plant-based milk sales up 20% to 15% market share 2023
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1441% of Gen Z avoid meat for environmental reasons 2023
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15Home cooking frequency up 22% since 2020 lockdown
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1668% check nutrition labels before purchase 2023
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17Ethnic cuisine consumption 25% higher among under-35s 2022
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1852% of households buy premium products despite inflation 2023
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19Alcohol-free drink consumption doubled since 2018 to 12% market
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2077% of consumers influenced by health claims on packaging
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21Fish consumption per capita 12.3kg annually down from 15kg in 2000
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2230% rise in at-home coffee consumption post-COVID 2023
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2364% prefer own-label products for value 2023
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24Dairy-free cheese sales up 45% in 2022
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Consumer Trends and Consumption Interpretation
The British palate is in a fascinating tug-of-war, earnestly piling kale onto the plate while guiltily washing down a ready meal with a fizzy drink, all the while eyeing the plant-based milk and checking the sugar content on the label.
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Employment and Labor
1Food and drink sector supports 3.9 million jobs contributing 7.8% to UK employment
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2Food and drink manufacturing employs 476,000 people directly in the UK in 2022
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329% of UK manufacturing workforce is in food and drink sector
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4Average salary in UK food manufacturing is £31,200 annually in 2022
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562,000 vacancies in UK hospitality and foodservice in 2023
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640% of food and drink manufacturers reported skills shortages in 2023
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7Women make up 41% of the UK food manufacturing workforce
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8BAME employees represent 14% in UK food manufacturing
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925% of food manufacturing roles filled by EU nationals post-Brexit adjusted
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10Apprenticeships in food and drink manufacturing reached 5,200 starts in 2021/22
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11Turnover per employee in UK food manufacturing £242,000 in 2022
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1215% increase in food manufacturing employment since 2010
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13UK hospitality sector employs 3.5 million people, 10% of workforce
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1470,000 job losses in UK foodservice due to COVID-19 by 2021
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1548% of food manufacturers investing in training programs in 2023
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16Youth employment (16-24) in food manufacturing 8.5% of workforce
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17Disability employment rate in food sector 12% above national average
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18Part-time workers 28% of food manufacturing staff
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19Zero-hour contracts in hospitality foodservice 8% of staff in 2022
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2035% of food manufacturers report labor shortages as top challenge 2023
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21Average tenure in food manufacturing 8.2 years
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2222,000 new jobs created in food manufacturing 2021-2022
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23Female managers in food sector 32% in 2022
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24Overtime worked by 25% of food production workers weekly
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25Training spend per employee £850 annually in food manufacturing
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Employment and Labor Interpretation
For a sector that literally puts food on every table, the UK's food and drink industry is itself a hearty but unbalanced meal: it's a massive employer with surprising loyalty and a growing appetite, yet it's critically understaffed, underpaid, and wrestling with a recipe that needs more skilled hands, diversity in leadership, and fewer empty plates.
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Market Size and Economic Contribution
1The UK food and drink manufacturing sector contributed £38.2 billion to Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2022
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2Total turnover of the UK food and drink industry reached £133.6 billion in 2022
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3Food and drink manufacturing accounts for 18% of total UK manufacturing GVA
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4The grocery market value in the UK was £215.1 billion for the 52 weeks ending 25 June 2023
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5Online grocery sales accounted for 11.3% of total grocery market share in the UK in 2023
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6The UK soft drinks market was valued at £13.8 billion in 2022
Directional
7UK confectionery market revenue stood at £5.2 billion in 2022
Directional
8The UK dairy market generated £11.4 billion in revenue in 2022
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9Packaged food market in the UK reached £90.5 billion in 2022
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10UK meat market revenue was £18.7 billion in 2022
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11Bakery products market in the UK valued at £6.8 billion in 2022
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12UK foodservice market size was £22.4 billion in 2022 pre-COVID recovery levels
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13The premium grocery segment grew by 9.2% in the UK in 2023
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14UK ambient food market revenue hit £15.3 billion in 2022
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15Chilled food market in the UK was £25.1 billion in 2022
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16Frozen food sector revenue reached £10.2 billion in the UK in 2022
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17UK snack food market valued at £4.9 billion in 2022
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18The plant-based food market in the UK grew to £1.1 billion in 2022
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19UK ready meals market was worth £3.4 billion in 2022
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20Organic food sales in the UK reached £3.2 billion in 2022
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21UK craft beer market size estimated at £1.5 billion in 2022
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22Non-alcoholic drinks market in UK valued at £2.8 billion in 2022
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23UK pet food market revenue was £3.6 billion in 2022
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24Functional food market in UK reached £1.2 billion in 2022
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25UK sauces and condiments market £2.9 billion in 2022
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26Breakfast cereals market in UK £1.8 billion revenue 2022
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27UK edible oils market valued at £1.4 billion in 2022
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28Infant food market in UK £0.9 billion in 2022
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29UK food manufacturing output index rose 2.1% in 2022
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Market Size and Economic Contribution Interpretation
While the British stiff upper lip may be famous, these figures prove our national mouth is decidedly and profitably open, from the £38.2 billion backbone of manufacturing to the £3.4 billion in ready meals that keep it from actually having to cook.
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Production and Manufacturing
1UK produces 60% of food consumed domestically by volume 2022
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2Food manufacturing output increased 1.8% in Q4 2022
Directional
37,500 food and drink manufacturing businesses in UK 2022
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490% of UK bread produced domestically daily 12 million loaves
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5UK milk production 14.8 billion litres annually 2022
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6Pigmeat production 920,000 tonnes in UK 2022
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7Poultry meat output 2.1 million tonnes 2022 record high
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8Beef and veal production 870,000 tonnes in 2022
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9UK wheat production 13.9 million tonnes 2022 harvest
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104,200 dairy processing plants in UK processing 100% domestic milk
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11Beer production 4.2 billion litres annually pre-2022 declines
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1298% of UK pasta made domestically 2022
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13Chocolate manufacturing output £4.5 billion turnover 2022
Directional
1475% of UK soft drinks produced locally 15 billion litres annually
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15Bakery sector produces 11 billion loaves/packs annually
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16UK potato production 5.6 million tonnes 2022
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1785% self-sufficiency in cereals production 2022
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1870% of fruit juice produced from UK concentrate
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193,000 new food products launched annually by manufacturers
Directional
20Energy use in food manufacturing 25 TWh annually 2022
Directional
21Water usage 300 million cubic metres in food processing 2022
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2250% of manufacturers adopted automation lines by 2023
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23R&D spend £1.1 billion in food and drink sector 2022
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24Waste generation 4.5 million tonnes food manufacturing 2022
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2565% of production energy from renewables target by 2030 progress 20% 2022
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Production and Manufacturing Interpretation
The UK food and drink industry, while impressively churning out enough bread and beans to keep the nation mostly self-sufficient, must now balance its manufacturing muscle with a growing appetite for efficiency and sustainability.
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Trade Exports Imports
1UK food and drink exports reached £23.2 billion in 2022
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2Food and drink exports grew 8.4% year-on-year to £23 billion in 2022
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3EU remains top destination for 58% of UK food and drink exports
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4US is the largest non-EU market for UK food exports at £1.1 billion in 2022
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5China imports £700 million of UK food and drink annually 2022
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6UK food imports totaled £48.6 billion in 2022
Directional
7Fruit and vegetables make up 25% of UK food imports value £12.1 billion 2022
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8Meat imports to UK £7.8 billion in 2022 mainly from EU
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9Cheese imports £1.2 billion annually, 70% from EU in 2022
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10UK exported £4.9 billion in beverages in 2022 led by Scotch whisky
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11Scotch whisky exports £5.1 billion representing 22% of total food drink exports 2022
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12Dairy exports from UK £1.4 billion in 2022 to 140 countries
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13Pork exports £0.6 billion down due to African Swine Fever impacts 2022
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14Fish and seafood exports £0.9 billion mainly to EU France Netherlands 2022
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15UK imports 90% of its coffee and 50% of tea consumed domestically 2022
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16Chocolate exports £0.8 billion to 130 countries in 2022
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17Post-Brexit non-tariff barriers affect 40% of EU exports volume
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18UK food trade deficit widened to £25.4 billion in 2022
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19Ambient grocery exports grew 12% to £2.1 billion in 2022
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20Chilled and fresh exports £6.3 billion facing logistics challenges 2022
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2175% of UK food exporters report increased costs post-Ukraine war 2023
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22India imports £150 million UK food drink mainly biscuits confectionery 2022
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23UAE top Middle East market £400 million UK food imports 2022
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24Japan post-trade deal imports £250 million UK products 2022
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2552% of businesses export to single market EU dependent
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Trade Exports Imports Interpretation
Despite raising a glass of £5.1 billion Scotch to our growing global sales, we're still eating our way to a £25.4 billion trade deficit, proving that while the world craves our whisky and cheese, we simply can't resist their avocados and coffee.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
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APA
Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Uk Food And Drink Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uk-food-and-drink-industry-statistics
MLA
Alexander Schmidt. "Uk Food And Drink Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/uk-food-and-drink-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Uk Food And Drink Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uk-food-and-drink-industry-statistics.
Sources & References
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- Reference 2KANTARkantar.com
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- Reference 3STATISTAstatista.com
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- Reference 4SOILASSOCIATIONsoilassociation.org
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- Reference 5ONSons.gov.uk
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- Reference 6UKHOSPITALITYukhospitality.org.uk
ukhospitality.org.uk
- Reference 7GOVgov.uk
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- Reference 8BHFbhf.org.uk
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- Reference 9DEFRAdefra.gov.uk
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- Reference 10SCOTCH-WHISKYscotch-whisky.org.uk
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- Reference 11AHDBahdb.org.uk
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- Reference 12MINTELmintel.com
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- Reference 13BIRAbira.co.uk
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- Reference 14BREWERSbrewers.org
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- Reference 15BRITISHSOFTDRINKbritishsoftdrink.com
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