Half of food and drink SMEs in the UK said business conditions deteriorated in the last three months of 2025, new findings suggest. In a survey by local trade body the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), 50% of SMEs said trading conditions "got worse" in the period compared to the third quarter. UK-based small businesses, with ten to 49 employees, made up 16% of the survey's respondents in the FDF's latest State of the Industry report. Medium-sized companies in the country, with 50 to 249 employees, meanw ...

Europe’s food and drink manufacturers are becoming more pessimistic about the region’s business prospects, according to a new survey from FoodDrinkEurope. The trade body's findings in its State of the Industry 2026 survey suggest Europe is losing ground as a preferred location for investment, with the region slipping to third position in terms of investment attractiveness, behind Asia and North America. In the group's 2025 survey, Europe was in second position, behind North America. In the survey, only ...