PR for Export-Driven Food & Agriculture Brands: How to Approach England and the UK
What commodity boards and CPG brands need to know before entering the UK market
England and the UK remain one of the world’s most influential markets for food and agriculture exporters, especially commodity boards and CPG brands looking to build credibility, secure retail listings, and grow long-term demand. The opportunity is real, but so is the scrutiny. In the UK, retailer gatekeepers are powerful, health and sustainability claims are regulated, and media can amplify missteps quickly.
In other words: UK food PR works best when it is evidence-based, retailer-aware, and culturally fluent.
Did you know?
The UK’s own data shows food, feed and drink imports were valued at £65.7 billion in 2024, and this category represented around 9% of total UK imports.
Why England and the UK Matter for Export-Driven Brands
The UK is an attractive market because it is high-value, highly urbanized, and deeply shaped by grocery retail. It is also a market where buyers expect strong standards, clear proof, and consistent messaging.
A key strategic indicator: the UK government tracks “food production to supply ratio” (a measure of domestic production relative to supply). For 2024, the UK reported 65% for all food, and 75% for “indigenous type” foods (foods that can be produced domestically). (GOV.UK) This is one reason import-dependent categories remain commercially important, even amid policy shifts.
From a PR and export marketing perspective, the UK is a credibility market where:
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Provenance and standards outperform hype
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Trade media visibility can directly influence buyer conversations
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Retail readiness is a PR strategy, not just a sales strategy
How British Food Culture Shapes PR Strategy
UK consumers sit at the intersection of value, quality, and accountability. Your PR and messaging needs to reflect that reality.
Provenance is not optional
British shoppers are intensely aware of where food comes from, and media narratives often revolve around origin, animal welfare, sustainability, and transparency. This is where exporter storytelling wins: not vague “premium” language, but clear proof points that are easy for retailers and journalists to validate.
Health is expected, but regulated
If you are making nutrition or health-adjacent claims, the UK is not a “creative copy” market.
The UK’s nutrition and health claims regime is rooted in Regulation (EC) 1924/2006 (as retained in UK law), with detailed compliance guidance published by the UK government. (GOV.UK) Advertising is also policed through UK ad rules, including specific ASA guidance on food-related claims. (foodcomplianceinternational.com)
PR implication: Your releases, pitches, influencer briefs, websites, and sell sheets should use approved language, not invented wellness wording.
Premium gifting spikes seasonally
The UK has predictable seasonal moments when premium food spikes: Christmas (hampers and luxury formats), Easter (chocolate and gifting), and summer entertaining. UK PR campaigns that align product storytelling with those “cultural calendars” often land better with both consumer and trade outlets.
Retail and Grocery: Where Visibility Really Starts
The UK is a retailer-led market. If your PR plan doesn’t map to grocery reality, it will underperform.
The core players (and why they matter)
UK grocery share shifts month-to-month, but Kantar’s reporting consistently shows Tesco as the market leader with Sainsbury’s and Asda as major forces, alongside continued growth of discounters. For example, Kantar reported Tesco at 27.9% in a March 2025 snapshot, with Sainsbury’s at 15.2%. (GOV.UK)
PR implication: Trade coverage and buyer-facing credibility matter because a handful of retailers influence national outcomes.
Retail accelerators and innovation programs
One UK-specific angle that export brands often miss: retailer innovation pathways that can create credibility fast.
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Tesco’s Accelerator Programme is designed to help bring new brands into the business (often with strong storytelling angles like sustainability, innovation, or category disruption). (Green Retail World)
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Waitrose launched BrandsNew, an innovation program backed by investment and designed to identify and support new FMCG brands. (Grocery Gazette)
PR implication: “Accepted into a retailer program” can become a clean, high-trust story that trade media, distributors, and buyers understand instantly.
UK Media and Influence: What Actually Moves the Needle
In the UK, export-driven PR works best when you treat the media ecosystem as two overlapping lanes:
1) Consumer and national credibility
Targets depend on your story, but UK national outlets tend to respond best to:
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Provenance and supply chain integrity
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Sustainability with measurable proof
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Category relevance tied to culture (seasonality, affordability, health trends)
2) Trade media that buyers actually read
For export-driven boards and CPG brands, trade is often where momentum starts. Outlets like The Grocer (retail decision-makers), food manufacturing trades, grocery trades, and hospitality trade press can directly support listings, inbound distributor interest, and category education.
PR reality: In the UK, a strong trade hit can outperform a “bigger” consumer mention if your goal is listings and partnerships.
Regulatory Awareness as a PR Advantage
UK buyers are sensitive to claims risk, especially around health, sustainability, and ethics.
One example: the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued detailed guidance to reduce misleading environmental marketing (the “Green Claims Code”). (GOV.UK)
PR implication: The fastest way to lose trust is to oversimplify environmental or ethical claims. The fastest way to build trust is to be precise, sourced, and consistent.
UK-Ready PR Toolkit for Commodity Boards and Export Brands
A UK launch toolkit should be built to withstand retailer scrutiny and media fact-checking.
A strong UK-ready toolkit typically includes:
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UK-specific positioning (why your product matters in the UK context)
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Proof points that translate (standards, audits, traceability, supply reliability)
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Clear language for claims (aligned with UK requirements) (GOV.UK)
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Trade-facing story assets: data, category education, usage occasions, photography
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A spokesperson plan for UK interviews, panels, webinars, and trade conversations
Story Angles That Consistently Win in the UK
Some narratives travel better than others. In the UK, these themes tend to perform:
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Provenance + verified systems (traceability, safety, audited standards)
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Affordability without compromise (value with quality proof, not “cheap”)
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Seasonal relevance (Christmas, Easter, summer entertaining)
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Retail readiness (formats, packaging, supply reliability, buyer confidence)
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Sustainability with measurable proof (avoid vague claims) (GOV.UK)
Why PR Matters More in the AI Era
UK media and trade coverage increasingly shape how your brand is discovered, summarized, and trusted, not only by humans but also by AI-driven search and answer engines. When your story appears consistently across reputable sources, it becomes easier for buyers, stakeholders, and partners to validate your credibility at speed.
At 6 Seeds Consulting, we help export-driven food and agriculture organizations build that authority through PR, marketing, and research that is evidence-based, retailer-aware, and built for long-term trust.
