The resilience of the UK’s Food & Drink industry has been under unprecedented pressure and the need for the right risk protection advice has never been greater. Our top-tier Food & Beverage team has an extensive track-record for advising and protecting clients in the food and drink and catering sectors.
Who we support
Producers, processors and manufacturers
Wholesalers and distributors
Food services operations
Retailers
Challenges faced in the manufacturing industry
Supply chains
From ethical sourcing and sustainability concerns to commodity price fluctuations and forex risk to the increasingly complicated matter of moving your goods, dependencies and pinch-points in the supply chain have never been so exposed.
Labour market
Increased competition for a diminished labour pool coupled with an employee base with higher expectations is resulting in greater urgency to develop your your unique employer proposition.
Debt in the System
With elevated levels of debt in the supply chain, a strategic approach to credit risk management will enable access to lending/finance, means your suppliers can get terms on your credit and can help to shape where you should pursue your next opportunity.
What is food & drink insurance?
The UK Food & Drink sector in the 2020s is a challenging place. As you consider the risks that face you, are you confident your current insurance will address these risks? We work in partnership with you to fully understand your business so that we can diagnose your risks and provide truly bespoke risk protection advice that is relevant to you and your business.
Why do you need a food & beverage insurance specialist?
We have developed our ability to support our clients across a wide spectrum of challenges and the risks facing your business operation. Whether it be through our own in-house capabilities or via our ecosystem of aligned partners, whatever challenge you are facing, you can be sure that we are well placed to support your business’s progress towards its objectives.
As a next-generation risk advisory business we aim to support our client’s needs with a much wider range of solutions, coupled with innate knowledge of the drivers behind your industry and a deep understanding of your operation to enable us to build resilience in your business by:
- Challenging thinking and assumptions, bringing fresh insight to the table
- Supporting you and the business across its life-cycle: selective application of innovative diagnostic and risk control solutions from the Ecosystem we build around you
- Enabling you to perform with minimal distraction: we can even release opportunity, helping you achieve your objectives
Industries served within the food & drink sector
Keeping the flow of food and drink onto the nation’s plates requires us to work across the whole supply chain:
Increasing scrutiny on the sourcing of ingredients, the first in the chain to feel the impact of commodity prices and a constant balancing act between changing regulations on one side and more demanding and ever-evolving customer tastes on the other.
Movement, storage and onward supply of everything from fresh produce to processed meals and beverages; ambient to frozen; local to global. Capital heavy operations under immense pressure to reduce emissions, the need to innovate is ever evolving.
Supplying our vast but damaged catering and hospitality industry, COVID saw many businesses begin B2C trading and lean heavily on digital platforms. New models of operation whilst potentially carrying more debt needs a more holistic, fresh approach.
The final link in the chain for most of the food we consume: the last responsibility for keeping and preparing food safely, looking after immense public footfall but also needing agility to respond to changing consumer behaviours.
Key risks & covers for the Food & Drink sector
We believe the arrangement and placement of the general insurance programme to be the most basic element of what we do, and a key cornerstone of any risk programme.
In addition to the standard covers, we normally find the most questions around the following specialist areas:
What are the true costs of a recall event if my product were contaminated or unsafe?
The impact of a recall can be detrimental to any brand image. However, when handled correctly, this impact can be reduced. The cost of a recall can be significant, a product contamination policy can include the cost of testing the product, advertising, transportation, disposal, reworking and business interruption.
Why do I need insurance for my product beyond the standard contracts with my haulier?
I know we’ve invested in IT infrastructure and automation, but how attractive a target are food & drink businesses really to cyber criminals?
Do I really understand the impact to my business of the death or critical illness of a key person or shareholder?
How can I influence my credit terms with my suppliers, and how can I manage the credit risk in my customer book?
How can I improve our appeal to employees to help with staff attraction and retention?
Meet the food & drink team
Tamzin Campbell-Jeffery
Managing Partner - Business Development (West Midlands and South West)
