Rt Hon Liz Truss MP, Secretary of State for International Trade Visits Cornish Seafood Exporter, Ideal Foods Ltd

Cornwall’s Export Company of the year 2019, Ideal Foods, was delighted to host a visit by the Rt Hon Liz Truss MP, Secretary of State for International Trade and Sheryll Murray, MP for South East Cornwall at its head office located in Liskeard.

Ideal Foods is a family run business with 19 years of international trading experience, selling seafood products to customers in more than 40 countries, specifically in the Far East, Europe and the USA.

Over the past 13 years, Ideal Foods has seen consistent year on year growth.  Earlier on this year, the company recorded another record year with turnover increasing once again to £13.4 million for the financial year ending 29th February 2020.  This equates to 11,520 tonnes of fish, 91% of which is sold overseas.

Liz Truss MP is visiting Cornwall today with the Department of International Trade to speak to some of the region’s top exporters, to discuss how firms like Ideal Foods can export more fantastic products to countries like Vietnam and Malaysia.  

Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss said: “The trade deals we are negotiating will create even more export opportunities in Cornwall and across Britain – boosting rural communities and local economies”.

In June 2020, Ideal Foods secured a new supply contract of fish by-products with Fife-based Mowi Consumer Products UK, part of the Mowi ASA group.  With this new supply agreement in place, Ideal Foods has been able to increase its sales availability by up to an additional 5,000 tonnes per year.

This year, the company has a turnover target of £16 million.  Halfway through this new financial year, the company is well on track to meet this target, having already loaded and despatched 264 containers, the same number of containers despatched during the whole 12 months of the last financial year.

Jeanette Turpin, Sales Director of Ideal Foods comments: “We are delighted to have been visited today by Liz Truss MP.  As an exporter, it has been so useful for us to meet with the Secretary of State for International Trade to discuss our international trading activities.

“The advice and guidance that we have received from the Department of International Trade (DIT) over the years has helped us in many ways and we will continue to tap into the resources available via DIT as our business grows into new overseas markets in the future.”

Sheryll Murray, MP for South East Cornwall continued: “It was good to bring Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, to local firm, Ideal Foods to discuss international trade.  A successful outward looking company based here in Cornwall”.

Ideal Foods has its own export department and processes all export documentation in-house including health certificates, certificates of origin and bills of lading.  Earlier on this year, the company’s own Export Controller, Vicky Jennings, was selected by DIT to become an Export Champion for the South West.

For further information about Ideal Foods Ltd, please visit www.ideal-foods.co.uk.