Food & Drink
With an annual turnover accounting for around £3.5bn, the food & drink industry in the North East is made up of over 1500 companies employing over 40,000 people.
The reputation for innovation within the sector is growing and its strong manufacturing base also supplies leading household brands with own label products.
The area has become a base for some of the best known names including United Biscuits, PepsiCo, Nestle, and Kerry Foods and meets the requirements for producing value adding innovative products supplying markets worldwide.
Regional Development Agency, One NorthEast has invested in a number of established projects delivering improvements to industry, including:
Regional Food Group: Northumbria Larder is the regional Food & Drink network for North East England. It consists of independent food and drink producers in County Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley.
Set up in 2001 following the foot and mouth outbreak, which caused the cancellation of most of the Farmers' Markets in the region, threatening the livelihoods of farmers, food producers and suppliers, Northumbria Larder aims to encourage, develop and help grow its members in their aspirations of producing the finest Food and Drink the region can offer.
Northumbria Larder has over 60 members. It is recognised by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Food From Britain (FFB) and One NorthEast as the regional food group.
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Case studies
- North Tyneside Primary Care Trust / Sure Start
The implementation of a new child health surveillance/ promotion schedule across North Tyneside in October 2002, chal...
- Durham University
Transmissometer for Improving Airport Weather Systems
RTC North was commissioned to undertak...
- Saddle Skedaddle Limited (SSL)
Incorporated joint venture
Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Saddle Skedaddle is a small tourism...
Latest news
- Free tool measures ability to innovate
Businesses can now measure how innovative they are - thanks to a 5 minute online tool developed by RTC North.








