US Export Plan - Sector Report - Food and Drink

Key subsectors of focus for the US market

Drinks are a vital component of Scotland’s good exports to the US, contributing £1 billion in export value in the year ending June 2025 and accounting for 22% of Scotland’s international goods exports^[22]. While US state level import data does not split out Scotland from the UK, given the substantial share of UK exports that Scottish drinks account for, examining UK-US import data gives a helpful indication of state level demand. Examining the latest full year of import data on beverage imports from the UK shows that New Jersey and Florida accounted for the highest percentage in 2024 (20.5% and 19.2% respectively), followed by Texas (11.9%), California (11.8%) and New York (9.7%).

Scotch Whisky remains the dominant product within the beverage category. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, 90% of production is exported, and it is the UK’s largest food and drink export. The US is still the largest single export destination for Scotch Whisky, with exports valued at £933 million in 2025^[23]. However, this represents a 4% decline from 2024, highlighting some of the strategic challenges in this key market resulting from changes in consumer spending, increased tax and costs and trade disruption.

However, Scotch Whisky is well established in the US market as a premium and super premium product, and as heritage product with authenticity. Recent consumer trends in the US show challenger brands can gain market share through speed and agility combined with good marketing and distribution, and there are opportunities for premium and smaller independent niche distillers and independent bottlers. However, there is strong domestic competition, with American whiskies, including bourbon and rye, dominating the market in terms of overall volume and cultural presence^[24]. California and Texas are the two largest domestic markets for American Whiskey (by volume)^[25]. Sales of American Whiskey dropped by 2.7% in 2024^[26]. While this could suggest an opportunity for replacement, it also hints at the challenges in the overall consumer sentiment in this sub-sector. An additional competitive consideration is the growing popularity of Irish whiskey, which has benefited from US drinkers desire to ‘trade up’ from premium to high-end and super-premium products. In 2024, more than 4.8 million 9-litre cases of Irish whiskey were sold in the US and some industry analysts project that it could overtake Scotch Whisky sales in the US by 2030^[27].

Whisky aside, the US is seeing an increasing trend towards non-alcoholic and health-orientated drinks creating an emerging opportunity for Scottish brands in these categories. Demand in the US continues to grow, driven by consumer prioritisation of health and wellness, cultural shifts and innovation in products such as flavour, packaging and ingredients^[28]. This trend is particularly strong on the West Coast, especially in California, where high adoption of clean-label, vegan, and plant-based products. While this remains an emerging opportunity for Scotland, the countries reputation for premium, natural ingredients align well with US demand for clean-label and sustainable products, and the existing strong footprint of Scottish exporters in the wider drinks industry means existing networks for distribution and marketing that can be tapped into.

In terms of food exports, premium grocery products is a key area where Scotland holds genuine strengths that could be leveraged to the US market. There are already 12 Scottish premium grocery companies who have moved to the US, demonstrating that the market is accessible market, though costly to enter. Within this category of food, Fish and seafood is the highest contributor to Scotland’s international export values for food. Whilst demand is highest from the EU (accounting for 80% of the total value of Scotland’s seafood exports), the US is still a key target destination. Goods data for the year to June 2025 shows that the value of fish and seafood goods exported from Scotland into the US was £181 million, making it the biggest food export commodity by value to the US^[29].

UK-US State import level data sheds further light on where there is greater demand for fish and seafood products. Overall Washington has the highest value of fish and seafood imports from the UK, accounting for 30.6% of the total value of fish and seafood imports from the UK. California follows with (22%) and Florida ranks third at (13.9%). Scottish salmon is a vital contributor within the division and is renowned as being the UK’s biggest food export with international sales reaching £828 million in 2025^[30]. This success is driven by the sectors focus on quality and provenance. Premium branding, such as ‘Label Rouge Salmon’ reinforces the products reputation and helps command a higher value in competitive international markets such as the US^[31].

In the first half of 2025, exports to the US of Scottish Salmon were up by 110% compared to the same period in 2024, highlighting strong and sustained demand for this product in the US^[32]. Despite tariffs of 10%, the demand of Scottish salmon across the USA has remained strong. At times, supply is more of a constraint, and some industry players believe increasing supply chain efficiencies could mean more US demand could be met. Air freight, particularly through Heathrow is common, though some exporters are using sea freight to play more into the sustainability agenda.

Within the fish and seafood commodity group, there is also increasing opportunities for ‘value-added’ seafood products, where Scotland has a competitive advantage due to its strong reputation for premium seafood quality, reinforced by success at major trade shows like Seafood Expo North America, held in Boston, Massachusetts, where Scottish companies showcased both fresh and value-added products^[33].

While whisky and seafood are by far the biggest export commodities within the food and drink sector, there are other opportunities within the wider category of premium grocery products that can’t be overlooked. Exported goods data for the year to June 2025 shows a small tail end of other products being exported to the US. This includes cereals and cereal preparations accounting for 3.3% of all food and drink exports to the US, followed by dairy products and eggs at 0.6%, and miscellaneous edible products and preparations at 0.3%. Of these, dairy products such as artisan cheese and ice cream are gaining strong momentum in the US, particularly in North America. An example of a Scottish cheese producer graining increasing traction in the US is Millbrook Dairy which in January 2026 reported rapid growth in sales and nationwide distribution of its Scottish Mature Chedder across the United States^[34].

Red meats is another area of exports to the US. However, to date the red meat export strategy has largely focused on Europe (accounting for 88% of total export value^[35]) reflecting easier compliance and strong demand for premium scotch beef and lamb. In the year to June 2025, ‘meat and meat preparations’ accounted for 0.2% of food and drink exports to the US – highlighting that although the share is small, there remains some activity in this category. However, the long-term decline in cattle numbers in Scotland continues into the first quarter of 2025, with cattle numbers falling to 1.65 million, a decline of 2.6% compared with the five-year average^[36]. This trend suggests ongoing uncertainty for the commodity and indicates it is unlikely to be a priority for US export markets.

Berries may represent another emerging opportunity area. They are already exporting successfully to the UAE, suggesting potential to achieve similar traction in the United States.