As a Government we have a Manifesto commitment that we want people at home and abroad to be lining up to buy British. SMEs are at the heart of the sector, making up 98% of food and drink manufacturing businesses, and one of our key focuses is supporting them to grow. As part of our support for these businesses the Government hosted a Regional Food and Drink Summit in Birmingham in March 2022. The Summit successfully brought together SMEs and regional organisations to share best practice and access support to grow their business through exporting, selling direct to consumers, accessing public sector procurement opportunities and promoting their products at a regional level. Building on the Summit we have continued to empower businesses and regional organisations to leverage growth opportunities, champion their regional food identity and develop links with local tourism through a series of regional workshops most recently in Yorkshire and Cornwall. In addition to the Government’s work, we recognise the role that local organisations play in supporting local food infrastructure. We work closely with local enterprise partnerships, as well as businesses and representative organisations, through regular engagement, regional workshop events, masterclasses and other events to develop local food and drink networks, promote local products and share best practice.