David Saint, president of the BSDA, spoke to the soft drinks industry on Tuesday, saying: “Consumers want choice, and more choice, and still more choice, so we all have to keep listening and innovating and inventing so that we can keep offering that choice.
“Consumers are increasingly looking for value. Despite recent reports of an upturn in the economy, a lot of people are still feeling squeezed. To stay relevant to them, we have got to find new ways of working and delivering value and keeping costs down. The media is loud and insistent, and the government and NGOs all have their expectations of the soft drinks industry too.
“They want to see us support jobs and growth, but they also want our support in addressing the public health agenda. They want us to cut our environmental footprint. That shouldn’t trouble us at all, because we have the same ambitions ourselves.
“The soft drinks industry is promoting good health and active lifestyles, with an increasing number of low- and no-calorie products on the market.
“We are leading a ‘sustainability roadmap’, working together to reduce our impact on the environment. Yet, despite the economic uncertainty and continuing change within the sector, the soft drinks industry remains a success story. Sales grew by 3.3% last year; our products are enjoyed in 99% of households; we support, directly and indirectly, 135,000 jobs up and down the country, and we contribute in tax more than £2bn in VAT.”
David Saint then introduced Lord Digby Jones as guest speaker. Once director general of the CBI and minister of state for trade and investment, he is still heavily involved in UK business and was keen to point out the importance of wealth creators: “We all love and are proud of our doctors and nurses,” he said, “but there is respect due to those in industry, as without wealth there would not be a public sector.
“We need to train our people better, so use your position to reach out to those who can and help them achieve. We need socially inclusive wealth creation.”
He then pointed out that bureaucratic frustrations with BT and the Passport Office can cause unnecessary angst and a complete lack of productivity.
“Regulatory compliance is another enormous bugbear in a world which is not a level playing field,” he added. “Pointless bureaucracy is a mindless, thoughtless following of process. We need to knock it down. This is a fabulous business community and we need instead to encourage social inclusion without damaging spirit and flair.”
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