A very tasty food and drink sector is on offer in the region. Here are some of the facts and figures about why we are the UK's leader in this sector:

• Known as the UK's food capital we employ 56,600 people full-time in the sector and our 1,086 food and drink businesses generated £2.74bn during 2004 (Experian Business Strategies/Yorkshire Forward Econometric Model, 2006, Office for National Statistics, Annual Business Inquiry, workplace analysis, 1998 and 2004).
• Food and Drink companies in Yorkshire and Humber are strategically located to reach 40 million consumers in 4 hours or less.
• We are home to world-class companies providing first class transport and logistics to serve the food industry.
• Yorkshire Forward has developed specific services for the food and drink sector to steer you through the process of setting up your business and making the right linkages.
• The Humber area of the region is responsible for 60% of the UK's fish processing output (Yorkshire Forward 2006).
• Yorkshire and Humber is home to a high concentration of breweries, producing close to one third of the UK's beer
• Yorkshire and Humber is a centre for seafood processing, employing 30% of GB's fish preserving and processing workforce (ABI 2005).
• The region has an ethnic food cluster growing at a rate of 15 per cent a year and a speciality foods cluster growing at around 35 per cent.
• Yorkshire and Humber generates 12.5% of the UK's total food and drink manufacturing turnover (ABI Business Inquiry 2003). With a competitive tax rate and favourable employment laws, the region is also the chosen base of numerous major buyers - Morrisons, Asda, Nisa, Aldi and Costcutter all have their purchasing departments in Yorkshire and Humber.
• The region is home to the largest chilled storage facility in Europe.
• Yorkshire and Humber has eight research active universities offering a wide range of high-calibre support skills to the food and drink industry.
• Yorkshire and Humber boasts an extensive range of sites and locations to fit the individual needs of all companies in the food and drink sector.
• Doncaster and Rotherham have strengths in meat and poultry processing while Rotherham also has fruit and vegetable processing and preserving strengths.
• Leeds and Wakefield have strengths in bread production, biscuits, rusks and brewing, while the rest of West Yorkshire has strengths in vegetable growing, agriculture, mineral water and soft drinks manufacturing.
• In North Yorkshire the food and industry sector strengths are in processing meat and poultry, animal feed manufacture, fruit and vegetable growing and wholesaling, as well as the manufacture of chocolate and cocoa.
• The Humber area has significant expertise in the manufacture of crude and refined oils and fats and accounts for half of the region's employment in growing cereals and other crops. Other important activities include swine farming and the production and preserving of meat and poultry products.
• In North Yorkshire approximately 43,000 people work in the food sector (70% of the sub region's total) with quarter of those processing meat and poultry. 3,000 people in York are involved in the manufacture of chocolate and cocoa.
• Employment rises to over 200,000 when the sector is expanded to include wholesale, retail, agriculture and manufacturing, and food, drink and tobacco companies account for 17.7% of the region's manufacturing employment (Annual business enquiry 2003).
• Yorkshire and Humber universities supply 5% of all food science graduates in England.
• Skills and training courses aimed at these industries are available and the region offers workforce skilled at all levels, from production operators and unskilled operatives to senior level management.

Across the region, the food and drink industry employs:

South Yorkshire

• 37,000 people are employed in the food sector. Over one third are in baking and 10% in the manufacture of biscuits and rusks.
• Ethnic foods account for approximately 1,000 jobs and is an area of rapid growth.
• Food wholesaling employs 5,000 people - 12% of the sub region's employment - and more than 50% are in retail.

West Yorkshire

• The food sector in this sub-region employs about 65,000 people, approximately one third of the regional total. Vegetable growing and agricultural services account for 75% of agricultural employment in the sub region.
• Bread production, the largest in the food sector, employs more than 3,000 people - mostly in Leeds and Wakefield. Biscuits and rusks account for another 2,000 jobs.
• Fifty per cent of the region's beer production is based mostly in Leeds and this sub region has 90% of the region's mineral water and soft drinks employment.
• More than 1,000 people are employed in the chocolate and cocoa industry.

North Yorkshire

• Approximately 43,000 people are employed in the food sector in North Yorkshire (70% of the sub region's total) with 25% of these in processing in meat and poultry.
• 3,000 people are employed in the manufacture of chocolate and cocoa - mostly in York - with fruit and vegetable wholesaling employing another 1,000.

The Humber

• There is a concentration of activity based on fish, because of the location - processing, wholesaling and retailing of fish. The Humber sub-region employs around 48,000 people in the food sector which is dominated by food processing - accounting for more than 20,000 jobs.