UK Food Imports Reach £67.8 Billion as Exports Lose Ground After Inflation

The United Kingdom imported £67.8 billion of food, feed and drink in 2025, up 6% from a year earlier in cash terms, according to final government statistics published on October 8, 2026. Exports increased 5% to £25.7 billion on the same basis. But adjusting for changes in trade prices tells a different story: imports increased 5% in real terms, while exports actually fell 0.8%.

The difference matters because a bigger value on an invoice can reflect higher prices rather than more food moving across borders. Defra's updated analysis separates nominal values from estimates adjusted to 2025 prices, giving farmers, food manufacturers and traders a clearer view of underlying market activity.

What the numbers really say

The latest trade figures put the cash-value gap between UK food, feed and drink imports and exports at about £42.1 billion for 2025. That is an arithmetic difference between two large totals, not an estimate of the entire economy's trade balance or the value of domestic food production.

The export figure climbed from 2024 when measured at current prices, yet the inflation-adjusted drop of 0.8% indicates that the increase in declared value was not accompanied by an overall increase in real export value. Imports rose in both measures. These are aggregate figures; individual food categories and trading partners may have moved differently.

Why food businesses should care

Retailers and restaurants rely on imported ingredients and finished products, while UK farms and manufacturers depend on overseas customers. A rise in real imports can increase competition and shift sourcing decisions. An export decline after inflation can signal pressure on the volume or price-adjusted value of goods sold abroad.

Businesses should avoid treating national aggregates as a forecast for any particular product. A cheese exporter, animal feed buyer or beverage processor faces its own markets, exchange rates, freight costs and regulatory requirements.

What changed in the official release

The October update replaces provisional figures released in April with final 2025 trade data from HM Revenue and Customs and newer trade-price deflators published by the Office for National Statistics in September. That makes it a better benchmark for year-on-year comparison, although revisions remain possible in statistical series.

For policymakers, the report underscores two separate questions: how much the country is spending on food imports, and whether export competitiveness is improving once inflation is stripped out. Those questions cannot be answered by cash totals alone.

Sources and image rights

Original primary source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-trade-in-food-feed-and-drink-2025-updated/uk-trade-in-food-feed-and-drink-2025-updated

Cover image: Agrilinkage original contextual editorial visual from its existing Media Manager.