Who we support
We work with a wide range of businesses across the food and beverage manufacturing sector, including:
- Meat and fish processors
- Prepared and convenience food manufacturers
- Dairy producers and processors
- Bakeries, confectionery and snack manufacturers
- Food service and catering companies
- Beverage manufacturers and drinks producers
Each of these sectors faces its own operational, regulatory and supply chain risks. Our team understands these differences and works with businesses to design insurance and risk management programmes that reflect the way they operate.
How we help
A specialist Food & Beverage Industry Practice
Marsh has a dedicated Food & Beverage Industry Practice that works with manufacturers, producers and brands across the sector.
Our team understands the operational realities of food production, from supply chain pressures and regulatory requirements to product recall exposures and factory risks.
We actively support the industry through:
- Thought leadership and industry insight
- Webinars and educational events
- Risk management guidance for manufacturers
Marsh is also proud to be an affiliate member of the Food and Drink Federation and Deliciously Yorkshire, supporting collaboration and knowledge sharing across the sector.
Access to the entire insurance market
One of the key advantages of working with us is our broad access to the insurance market.
We can obtain quotations from all major insurers and, where specialist or complex cover is required, we can also place risks within Lloyd’s of London.
This breadth of market access allows us to design insurance programmes that are tailored to the specific risks of food and beverage manufacturing, rather than relying on generic policies.
Product recall risk in the food and beverage sector
Product recall is one of the most significant risks facing food and beverage manufacturers. Recalls can occur for many reasons, including:
- Mislabelling, particularly undeclared allergens
- Contamination or adulteration
- Manufacturing defects
- Packaging errors
- Supplier ingredient issues
- Accidental or malicious tampering
A common misconception is that product liability insurance will cover the costs of a recall. In reality, product liability insurance typically responds only to claims involving bodily injury or property damage caused by your product.
It usually does not cover the financial impact of withdrawing products from the market or the loss of revenue associated with a recall.
These costs can include:
- Removing products from retailers
- Destroying or replacing stock
- Retailer penalties and contractual costs
- Crisis management and communications
- Loss of revenue while production is disrupted
To address this exposure, Marsh has developed a market-leading product recall facility called ‘RecallPro’; specifically designed to cater for food and beverage businesses, available for companies from start-ups through to businesses with up to £200 million turnover.
Risk management and operational support
Insurance is only one part of protecting a food manufacturing business. Effective risk management and operational resilience can reduce the likelihood of incidents and improve insurance outcomes.
We support clients with a range of services designed to strengthen operational resilience.
We can arrange recognised training programmes such as:
- IOSH courses e.g. IOSH Managing Safely
- NEBOSH qualifications
In many cases, we are able to secure insurer bursaries or funding contributions to support the cost of delivering these courses for clients.
Property valuations and factory surveys
Incorrect building valuations are one of the most common issues we encounter when reviewing manufacturing insurance programmes.
We can arrange professional property valuations and surveys for factories and production facilities, helping ensure buildings and plant are insured for the correct value and reducing the risk of underinsurance following a major loss.
Employee benefits and pensions
Attracting and retaining skilled employees is a growing challenge for many manufacturers.
We can also support your business with a full range of employee benefits and pensions solutions, including:
- Workplace pensions
- Private medical insurance
- Group risk protection
- Employee mental health and wellbeing programmes
A well-designed benefits strategy can support recruitment, improve retention and enhance workforce wellbeing.
Protecting intellectual property
Food and beverage businesses often invest heavily in brands, product development, recipes and packaging design.
Intellectual property disputes can arise where competitors challenge trademarks, branding or proprietary processes.
Intellectual property insurance can help cover the legal costs associated with defending your rights or pursuing action where your intellectual property has been infringed.
For growing brands, protecting these assets can be just as important as protecting physical infrastructure.
Specialist support for distilleries
We have a specialist capability supporting distilleries and spirits producers.
Distilleries face unique risks including maturing stock exposures, bonded warehouses, duty liabilities and visitor centre operations.
Our team understands these exposures and can design insurance programmes tailored to the needs of distillery businesses.
You can learn more about our specialist distillery insurance services.
Supporting growth through mergers and acquisitions
Many food and beverage businesses expand through acquisition.
We work closely with our Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions specialists to support businesses throughout the transaction process.
Our services include:
- Insurance due diligence on acquisition targets
- Identification of potential liabilities or insurance gaps
- Structuring transactional risk insurance, such as Warranty & Indemnity cover
- Supporting the integration of insurance programmes following an acquisition
This helps protect buyers from unexpected exposures and ensures the insurance programme evolves alongside the business.
Insurance solutions for food and beverage manufacturers
Every food manufacturing business is different, and insurance programmes should reflect the way a company operates.
We can arrange the full range of insurance protections required by food and beverage manufacturers, including covers such as:
- Property, stock and Business interruption insurance
- Employers Liability, Public and product liability
- Stock-through-put and marine cargo insurance
- Motor fleet insurance
- Cyber insurance
- Management liability (including Directors & Officers)
- Product recall insurance
Rather than relying on generic policies, we design bespoke insurance programmes aligned to your operations, supply chain and growth plans.
What we often see when reviewing food manufacturing insurance
When reviewing insurance programmes for food and beverage manufacturers, we frequently see issues such as:
- Property values that have not been updated for many years, creating potential underinsurance concerns
- Product liability limits that may not reflect modern retailer requirements
- Businesses relying solely on product liability without dedicated product recall protection
- Limited cyber insurance protection in place
- Insurance programmes that have not been benchmarked against peers in the sector
Even small changes can often improve protection and ensure your insurance programme reflects the way your business operates today.
Request an insurance benchmark review
If you would like a second opinion on your insurance programme, we would be pleased to help.
