US Export Plan - Sector Report - Food and Drink

Exporting to the US

Exports in the food and drink sector are well supported, underpinned by a strong partnership between the Scottish Government, Scottish Development International (SDI), and industry stakeholders - coordinated through Scotland Food & Drink. This collaborative approach has been instrumental in driving and supporting international growth and promoting Scotland’s reputation for high-quality produce. The importance of the US market is underlined by the work of the In-Market Services team at SDI, who supported more unique companies in North America between 2019-2023 than in any other market, with 48% of service users being supported in the region.^[17]

Food and Drink exports from Scotland to the US, were valued at £1.2 billion in the year ending June 2025, representing 28% of the total value of all Scottish exports to the US^[18]. This is equivalent to approximately 50% of the UK’s total exports in food and drink goods, underlying the significance of the sector. Examining import data to the US, the line chart below shows that since 2021 there has been a steady increase in the value of food and drinks imports to the US from Scotland, reflecting a 30% increase between 2021 and 2024. Compared to other European competitors in this space, such as Norway and Ireland, Scotland is broadly in line with their levels in terms of import values into the US. Although it should be noted that in Ireland there has been an uptick in import levels to the US between 2023 and 2024, underscoring its growing competitive presence in the market.

Source: US Census NB: ‘Scotland (UK est.)’ figure is based on apportioned figure based on Scotland’s share of overall UK exports in food and drink. ‘Scotland (export based) is based on actual Scotland export data from HMRC Regional Trade Statistics (RTS) June 2025.

Examining at a state level using UK import data shows that New Jersey accounted for the highest percentage of UK food and drink imports (18.7%), followed by Florida (14.3%), California (13.4%) and New York (10.4%). Of these states, California had the greatest increase in food and drink imports from the UK between 2014 and 2024 (+42.6%).

In addition, Scotland exports food and drink-related services as part of its broader service offering, which according to Export Statistic Scotland (2023) reached £1.3 billion, accounting for 20% of total exports, the second highest volume after Financial and business services. Additionally, a Scottish Government study on the exposure of domestic output to US trade found that food and drink exports to the US account for 5.4% of Scotland’s domestic output, notably higher than the UK average of 1.6%^[19]. This underscores the sector’s strategic importance to Scotland’s economy and its reliance on US market access.

As explored in the next section, the US remains the largest market by value for Scotch Whisky. The US is a global leader in spirits consumption and nearly 36% of all Scotch Whisky sold in the US last year was Single Malt, making the US a particularly important export destination for small and medium-sized distilleries^[20]. There is also high demand for seafood within the US, as around 80% of seafood consumed in the US is imported^[21], creating strong demand for international suppliers, particularly Scotland who already have a strong reputation in this space.