2 min read - 21 May, 2026
Mondelēz International reveals £2.3bn contribution to UK economy
Mondelēz International, the company behind brands including Cadbury, BelVita, Philadelphia, Toblerone and Oreo, has published a new report highlighting the company’s economic contributions to the UK and investment in innovation, manufacturing and talent, while supporting regional jobs and growth.
Backed by over 200 years of UK manufacturing heritage, key takeaways from the report include:
• £2.3bn contributed to the UK economy in 2025.
• Nearly 12,000 jobs supported across the UK — 3,800 employed directly across eight sites.
• £1.3bn spent with over 1,000 UK suppliers from dairy farmers to logistics firms.
• The UK is Mondelēz International’s largest global R&D hub, with over 700 scientists and engineers driving food science, nutrition and wellbeing innovation.
• £135m invested in UK manufacturing since 2022 alongside £24m in world-leading R&D facilities.
• Awarded UK Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute, supporting early careers and 98 apprentices in 2025.
Mondelēz International has revealed a £2.3bn contribution to the UK economy in its latest impact report / Picture: Mondelēz
Mondelēz International’s impact extends beyond its sites to every region of the UK, from farmers to retailers. In the West Midlands alone, the company contributes nearly £600m in GVA, employs over 2,000 people, and has donated £7.7m to UK charities since 2022, with its Health for Life programme reaching over 266,000 people.
To help the food and drink sector deliver growth, Mondelēz International calls on government to:
• Recognise food and drink, worth £42bn and employing 500,000 people, as a priority within the Industrial Strategy.
• Deliver a stable regulatory framework that enables business to commit to long-term investment in the UK. When policies shift repeatedly and quickly, millions spent on product development and compliance is wasted, consumer choice is restricted, and growth is held back.
• Align reforms to the skills system with the needs of advanced manufacturing.
• Strengthen collaboration between government, industry and academia to drive innovation and competitiveness.
Mondelēz supports nearly 12,000 UK jobs, including 3,800 direct employees across eight manufacturing sites / Picture: Mondelēz
Christian Woolfenden, senior vice president and managing director, UK & Ireland, said: “We’ve been part of the UK’s growth story for more than 200 years. With regulatory stability and a place at the heart of the Industrial Strategy, we can drive further growth and help ease cost-of-living pressures for families across the UK.”
The wider UK food and drink manufacturing sector contributes £42bn to the country’s economy, is larger than the automotive and aerospace sectors combined, directly employs 500,000 people, and its supply chain supports 4.2 million jobs – yet remains absent from the government’s Industrial Strategy.
