Nigel Broadhurst, the newly elected chairman of the board of the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), has called on every part of the industry to “work together to get our message across to every consumer.” Speaking to over 1,000 business leaders at the Federation’s annual luncheon in London on November 21, he highlighted the huge potential of the £8.3 billion UK frozen food sector as “innovation, investment and insight continue to drive this industry forward.”
Broadhurst, who is also managing director of the Iceland retail chain, stated: “Our producers are delivering some of the best innovation in food production in the market. Our supply chain has never been more efficient or controlled, and investment into our industry has never been greater.”
He continued: “We need to grasp the nettle and take action, now, working together to get our message across to every consumer, restaurant owner or operator, catering establishment and foodservice provider.”
The speech followed recent news that the frozen food retail sector in Britain achieved sales of £6 billion during the 52-week period that ended on September 17, 2017, with foodservice contributing a further £2.3 billion, and current growth in excess of 5%. This means that the potential to hit the £10 billion mark in the near future is truly realistic, and achieving the goal will be the focus of the Federation’s annual business conference in Birmingham on February 22.
The chairman went on to say that industry members need to proactively involve themselves in the issues where they can make a real impact, for the betterment of their businesses and the industry as a whole.
Broadhurst also paid tribute to his predecessor Peter Allen, who has “made a brilliant contribution to the BFFF both as chairman for the last three years and also since 2008 on various committees”.
