FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4053826

LEAD IN:

Chocolates made with reindeer moss and 'duck crackling' are among the innovations at a speciality food fair in London.

Since the Brexit vote, many British producers are concerned that they can no longer rely on the EU market and are beginning to look to the east.

STORY-LINE:

It looks like intricately stitched fabric, but these are colourful cakes based on eastern henna designs.

The bright gold reds and pinks are aiming at markets all over the world. The company is called Sari after the ornately designed garments traditionally worn by women in India.

The foods and drinks found here are aimed at the top end of the market.

Many stall holders are hoping to find favour with restaurateurs, luxury food wholesalers, or high end supermarkets.

The director of the Speciality and Fine Food Fair is Soraya Gadelrab.

Gadelrab believes the UK especially London has an international cuisine that other markets are opening up to.

That's why next year there will see the launch of the Asian Speciality Food Fair in Singapore, a lucrative market chosen because consumers there are wealthy and becoming more cosmopolitan.

Gadelrab says: "People see the UK and London as ahead of the trends when it comes to food and drink and the latest products, the latest ways of eating, the latest styles, the latest diets, and I think that's something that countries around the world sometimes look to the UK and more specifically London to see what we're doing and at this show there's so many countries represented, there's so much food from around the world and we eat globally here in the UK every day. But not all countries do that and what we're finding is that other countries are starting to catch up with us so we're actually taking this show to Singapore next year and launching Speciality and Fine Food Asia."

Despite warnings from President Obama at the G20 summit in China at the weekend, Gadelrab is not gloomy about Britain's food industry after the UK leaves Britain.

She says: "Artisan biscuits, pies, it's a huge market there's the expat(riot) community, but there's also quite an affluent consumer there and they want the latest, the greatest products imported from all around the world and British food is really up there."

This company has been exporting gourmet Italian foods into Britain for forty years.

It's owner Toni Pirozzi helped to blaze the trail which has ensured that many people in Britain consume cheeses, hams, pastas and sauces which wouldn't have been easily available a few decades ago.

Exporters like Pirozzi see the UK as an important market.

While he isn't gloomy about the luxury food market, he believes there will be a downward pressure on prices.

According to Pirozzi: "Being in the exit (Brexit from EU) from the common market I think it's going to be a little problem for the Italian product. But not too much because the product is not going to be successful, but it's going to be a little outpriced and quite a lot of imitations, they're coming out produced in every part of the world, which they call Italian product, but they are not original."

Concern about authenticity is something that many food producers are worried about.

Tight restrictions in EU law ensure that the products of particular regions are protected.

For example you can't make sparkling wine and call champagne unless it's from the champagne produce region in France.

Pirozzi gives the example of a particular kind of Sicilian tomato.

"If you look at the ciliegino di Pachino, the original ciliegino di Pachino, only from Pachino do you have a different flavour, the vitamins, everything inside is beautiful because the area of Pachino is an area which is very salty, very windy and very hot. Now if you go only thirty kilometres from Pachino, you buy the same ciliegino, it looks the same. Now ciliegino comes from everywhere and the price...(gesticulates that the price goes down)."

A concern for luxury food producers in the UK is whether shoppers post-Brexit will still be happy to pay more for specialist products.

Gadelrab is optimistic: "People still want those beautiful indulgences and this is what this fair is all about, the handcrafted products with all the best ingredients, full of flavour, exciting flavour combinations and I think that's not something that's going to go away because when times are tough, maybe people scrimp on holidays and big TVs, but they're still going to treat themselves to a beautiful cake, or some lovely ham, or some hand reared beef, so it's here to stay."

New ideas and producers are developing all the time.

Adam Wilding is launching his new product here at the fair after three long years of testing and developing a 'duck crackling' to take on the British pork crackling market.

Crispy duck skins are sold in delicatessens in France and of course the Chinese gourmands have been creating crispy duck skin for centuries, but Wilding believes he's the first to think of marketing it in this way.

He says: "We've a good connection with pork crackling, this idea came about when I was running a menu for a canape event and just as I was going to sleep I thought, you know these ideas come to you sometimes at night, but the idea was to have crispy duck skin as a canape base. On top of that we put some duck pate and it kind of went so well that a little spark went off."

This product has yet to be distributed and Wilding doesn't want disclose who he is in talks with, but he says it is going well.

"There's an overwhelming interest, you can see this moment where people's brains, they compute the idea and they suddenly get it and they are like 'oh yes, I understand what this is'."

After a savoury snack, it's time for something sweet - and another launch of a very unusual product.

Not this actual size shoe adorned with artificial pearls, but something that Nordic and Scandinavian countries will recognise.

Chocolala is an Estonian company which has high hopes for these little bundles of reindeer moss chocolates

It's run by Kristi Lehtis, who goes hunting for the moss in the forests near her home, rather like the reindeer do.

She also forages for wild fruits to put in her chocolates.

"Blueberries and moss they grow together and while I was picking blueberries I thought it would be nice to take something from the forest along, something more and the moss is actually widely used by the chefs as well at the restaurants," she says.

"You can make it with beetroot for example and it's a pink moss, but we make it with chocolate you can caramelise it, we have lots of different ways and it gives texture because it's nice to have the chocolate plus the texture so together it's a great product and something that people haven't tried. There are a lot of people who want something special who have tried everything and they don't know what to give as a present, so this something that they haven't tried."

It remains to be seen whether chocolate moss will be appearing on people's Christmas lists this year.

London, UK - 4 September 2016

1. Close tilt up of ornately decorated cake inspired by henna designs

2. Close zoom out of silver cake

3. Pan of differently decorated cakes

4. Close zoom in on giant chocolate nuts and small glazed chocolates

5. Wide of chocolate producer talking to potential client

6. Wide of chocolate box with graphic designs

7. Close zoom in to artisanal Scotch eggs

8. Mid of man on pie stall chopping eggs for people to taste

9. Close of eggs

10. Wide of specialist bread and cake stall

11. Close tilt up of pies and breads

12. Zoom in to barrel of cheese

13. Mid of staff on Italian food stall

14. Various of event director Soraya Gadelrab trying specialist cheese at Italian stall

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, director, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"People see the UK and London as ahead of the trends when it comes to food and drink and the latest products, the latest ways of eating, the latest styles, the latest diets, and I think that's something that countries around the world sometimes look to the UK and more specifically London to see what we're doing and at this show there's so many countries represented, there's so much food from around the world and we eat globally here in the UK every day. But not all countries do that and what we're finding is that other countries are starting to catch up with us so we're actually taking this show to Singapore next year and launching Speciality and Fine Food Asia."

16. Mid zoom in on large flavoured meringues

17. Wide pan of chocolate shop

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, director, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"Artisan biscuits, pies, it's a huge market there's the expat(riot) community, but there's also quite an affluent consumer there and they want the latest, the greatest products imported from all around the world and British food is really up there."

19. Close of spoon scooping out Gorgonzola cheese

20. Mid of Toni Pirozzi, Italian food and specialist cheese exporter, giving his colleague the spoonful of Gorgonzola

21. Close of man tasting and savouring cheese

22. Close zoom in to Gorgonzola

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Toni Pirozzi, Italian food exporter

"Being in the exit (Brexit from EU) from the common market, I think it's going to be a little problem for the Italian product. But not too much because the product is not going to be successful, but it's going to be a little outpriced and quite a lot of imitations, they're coming out produced in every part of the world, which they call Italian product, but they are not original."

24. Close of Gorgonzola being scooped out

25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Toni Pirozzi, Italian food exporter

"If you look at the ciliegino di Pachino, the original ciliegino di Pachino, only from Pachino do you have a different flavour, the vitamins, everything inside is beautiful because the area of Pachino is an area which is very salty, very windy and very hot. Now if you go only thirty kilometres from Pachino, you buy the same ciliegino, it looks the same. Now ciliegino comes from everywhere and the price...(gesticulates that the price goes down)."

26. Wide of food fair

27. Top mid of specialist food seller speaking to client

28. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"People still want those beautiful indulgences and this is what this fair is all about, the handcrafted products with all the best ingredients, full of flavour, exciting flavour combinations and I think that's not something that's going to go away because when times are tough, maybe people scrimp on holidays and big TVs, but they're still going to treat themselves to a beautiful cake, or some lovely ham, or some hand reared beef, so it's here to stay."

29. Mid of passerby being offered taste of crispy duck skin snacks described as duck crackling

30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Wilding, chef and inventor of "Duck Crackling"

"We've a good connection with pork crackling, this idea came about when I was running a menu for a canape event and just as I was going to sleep I thought, you know these ideas come to you sometimes at night, but the idea was to have crispy duck skin as a canape base. On top of that we put some duck pate and it kind of went so well that a little spark went off."

31. Close of duck crackling in pots on tray

32. Mid of Wilding talking to colleague

33. Close of Wilding

34. Close of pots

35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Wilding, chef and inventor of "Duck Crackling"

"There's an overwhelming interest, you can see this moment where people's brains, they compute the idea and they suddenly get it and they are like 'oh yes, I understand what this is'."

36. Close of chocolate shoe in real shoe size

37. Various of chocolate shoe being held outside of box

38. Close of reindeer moss chocolates being put into gift box

39. Close of moss chocolate

40. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kristi Lehtis, specialist chocolate maker, Chocolala

"So moss is a very special product."

41. Close of reindeer moss chocolate

42. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kristi Lehtis, specialist chocolate maker, Chocolala

"Blueberries and moss they grow together and while I was picking blueberries I thought it would be nice to take something from the forest along, something more and the moss is actually widely used by the chefs as well at the restaurants because you can make it with beetroot for example and it's a pink moss, but we make it with chocolate you can caramelise it we have lots of different ways and it gives texture because it's nice to have the chocolate plus the texture so together it's a great product and something that people haven't tried. There are a lot of people who want something special who have tried everything and they don't know what to give as a present, so this something that they haven't tried."

43. Close of carton filled with reindeer moss

44. Close of Lehtis

45. Mid of Lehtis filling gift box

LEAD IN:

Chocolates made with reindeer moss and 'duck crackling' are among the innovations at a speciality food fair in London.

Since the Brexit vote, many British producers are concerned that they can no longer rely on the EU market and are beginning to look to the east.

STORY-LINE:

It looks like intricately stitched fabric, but these are colourful cakes based on eastern henna designs.

The bright gold reds and pinks are aiming at markets all over the world. The company is called Sari after the ornately designed garments traditionally worn by women in India.

The foods and drinks found here are aimed at the top end of the market.

Many stall holders are hoping to find favour with restaurateurs, luxury food wholesalers, or high end supermarkets.

The director of the Speciality and Fine Food Fair is Soraya Gadelrab.

Gadelrab believes the UK especially London has an international cuisine that other markets are opening up to.

That's why next year there will see the launch of the Asian Speciality Food Fair in Singapore, a lucrative market chosen because consumers there are wealthy and becoming more cosmopolitan.

Gadelrab says: "People see the UK and London as ahead of the trends when it comes to food and drink and the latest products, the latest ways of eating, the latest styles, the latest diets, and I think that's something that countries around the world sometimes look to the UK and more specifically London to see what we're doing and at this show there's so many countries represented, there's so much food from around the world and we eat globally here in the UK every day. But not all countries do that and what we're finding is that other countries are starting to catch up with us so we're actually taking this show to Singapore next year and launching Speciality and Fine Food Asia."

Despite warnings from President Obama at the G20 summit in China at the weekend, Gadelrab is not gloomy about Britain's food industry after the UK leaves Britain.

She says: "Artisan biscuits, pies, it's a huge market there's the expat(riot) community, but there's also quite an affluent consumer there and they want the latest, the greatest products imported from all around the world and British food is really up there."

This company has been exporting gourmet Italian foods into Britain for forty years.

It's owner Toni Pirozzi helped to blaze the trail which has ensured that many people in Britain consume cheeses, hams, pastas and sauces which wouldn't have been easily available a few decades ago.

Exporters like Pirozzi see the UK as an important market.

While he isn't gloomy about the luxury food market, he believes there will be a downward pressure on prices.

According to Pirozzi: "Being in the exit (Brexit from EU) from the common market I think it's going to be a little problem for the Italian product. But not too much because the product is not going to be successful, but it's going to be a little outpriced and quite a lot of imitations, they're coming out produced in every part of the world, which they call Italian product, but they are not original."

Concern about authenticity is something that many food producers are worried about.

Tight restrictions in EU law ensure that the products of particular regions are protected.

For example you can't make sparkling wine and call champagne unless it's from the champagne produce region in France.

Pirozzi gives the example of a particular kind of Sicilian tomato.

"If you look at the ciliegino di Pachino, the original ciliegino di Pachino, only from Pachino do you have a different flavour, the vitamins, everything inside is beautiful because the area of Pachino is an area which is very salty, very windy and very hot. Now if you go only thirty kilometres from Pachino, you buy the same ciliegino, it looks the same. Now ciliegino comes from everywhere and the price...(gesticulates that the price goes down)."

A concern for luxury food producers in the UK is whether shoppers post-Brexit will still be happy to pay more for specialist products.

Gadelrab is optimistic: "People still want those beautiful indulgences and this is what this fair is all about, the handcrafted products with all the best ingredients, full of flavour, exciting flavour combinations and I think that's not something that's going to go away because when times are tough, maybe people scrimp on holidays and big TVs, but they're still going to treat themselves to a beautiful cake, or some lovely ham, or some hand reared beef, so it's here to stay."

New ideas and producers are developing all the time.

Adam Wilding is launching his new product here at the fair after three long years of testing and developing a 'duck crackling' to take on the British pork crackling market.

Crispy duck skins are sold in delicatessens in France and of course the Chinese gourmands have been creating crispy duck skin for centuries, but Wilding believes he's the first to think of marketing it in this way.

He says: "We've a good connection with pork crackling, this idea came about when I was running a menu for a canape event and just as I was going to sleep I thought, you know these ideas come to you sometimes at night, but the idea was to have crispy duck skin as a canape base. On top of that we put some duck pate and it kind of went so well that a little spark went off."

This product has yet to be distributed and Wilding doesn't want disclose who he is in talks with, but he says it is going well.

"There's an overwhelming interest, you can see this moment where people's brains, they compute the idea and they suddenly get it and they are like 'oh yes, I understand what this is'."

After a savoury snack, it's time for something sweet - and another launch of a very unusual product.

Not this actual size shoe adorned with artificial pearls, but something that Nordic and Scandinavian countries will recognise.

Chocolala is an Estonian company which has high hopes for these little bundles of reindeer moss chocolates

It's run by Kristi Lehtis, who goes hunting for the moss in the forests near her home, rather like the reindeer do.

She also forages for wild fruits to put in her chocolates.

"Blueberries and moss they grow together and while I was picking blueberries I thought it would be nice to take something from the forest along, something more and the moss is actually widely used by the chefs as well at the restaurants," she says.

"You can make it with beetroot for example and it's a pink moss, but we make it with chocolate you can caramelise it, we have lots of different ways and it gives texture because it's nice to have the chocolate plus the texture so together it's a great product and something that people haven't tried. There are a lot of people who want something special who have tried everything and they don't know what to give as a present, so this something that they haven't tried."

It remains to be seen whether chocolate moss will be appearing on people's Christmas lists this year.

London, UK - 4 September 2016

1. Close tilt up of ornately decorated cake inspired by henna designs

2. Close zoom out of silver cake

3. Pan of differently decorated cakes

4. Close zoom in on giant chocolate nuts and small glazed chocolates

5. Wide of chocolate producer talking to potential client

6. Wide of chocolate box with graphic designs

7. Close zoom in to artisanal Scotch eggs

8. Mid of man on pie stall chopping eggs for people to taste

9. Close of eggs

10. Wide of specialist bread and cake stall

11. Close tilt up of pies and breads

12. Zoom in to barrel of cheese

13. Mid of staff on Italian food stall

14. Various of event director Soraya Gadelrab trying specialist cheese at Italian stall

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, director, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"People see the UK and London as ahead of the trends when it comes to food and drink and the latest products, the latest ways of eating, the latest styles, the latest diets, and I think that's something that countries around the world sometimes look to the UK and more specifically London to see what we're doing and at this show there's so many countries represented, there's so much food from around the world and we eat globally here in the UK every day. But not all countries do that and what we're finding is that other countries are starting to catch up with us so we're actually taking this show to Singapore next year and launching Speciality and Fine Food Asia."

16. Mid zoom in on large flavoured meringues

17. Wide pan of chocolate shop

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, director, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"Artisan biscuits, pies, it's a huge market there's the expat(riot) community, but there's also quite an affluent consumer there and they want the latest, the greatest products imported from all around the world and British food is really up there."

19. Close of spoon scooping out Gorgonzola cheese

20. Mid of Toni Pirozzi, Italian food and specialist cheese exporter, giving his colleague the spoonful of Gorgonzola

21. Close of man tasting and savouring cheese

22. Close zoom in to Gorgonzola

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Toni Pirozzi, Italian food exporter

"Being in the exit (Brexit from EU) from the common market, I think it's going to be a little problem for the Italian product. But not too much because the product is not going to be successful, but it's going to be a little outpriced and quite a lot of imitations, they're coming out produced in every part of the world, which they call Italian product, but they are not original."

24. Close of Gorgonzola being scooped out

25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Toni Pirozzi, Italian food exporter

"If you look at the ciliegino di Pachino, the original ciliegino di Pachino, only from Pachino do you have a different flavour, the vitamins, everything inside is beautiful because the area of Pachino is an area which is very salty, very windy and very hot. Now if you go only thirty kilometres from Pachino, you buy the same ciliegino, it looks the same. Now ciliegino comes from everywhere and the price...(gesticulates that the price goes down)."

26. Wide of food fair

27. Top mid of specialist food seller speaking to client

28. SOUNDBITE: (English) Soraya Gadelrab, Speciality and Fine Food Fair

"People still want those beautiful indulgences and this is what this fair is all about, the handcrafted products with all the best ingredients, full of flavour, exciting flavour combinations and I think that's not something that's going to go away because when times are tough, maybe people scrimp on holidays and big TVs, but they're still going to treat themselves to a beautiful cake, or some lovely ham, or some hand reared beef, so it's here to stay."

29. Mid of passerby being offered taste of crispy duck skin snacks described as duck crackling

30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Wilding, chef and inventor of "Duck Crackling"

"We've a good connection with pork crackling, this idea came about when I was running a menu for a canape event and just as I was going to sleep I thought, you know these ideas come to you sometimes at night, but the idea was to have crispy duck skin as a canape base. On top of that we put some duck pate and it kind of went so well that a little spark went off."

31. Close of duck crackling in pots on tray

32. Mid of Wilding talking to colleague

33. Close of Wilding

34. Close of pots

35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Wilding, chef and inventor of "Duck Crackling"

"There's an overwhelming interest, you can see this moment where people's brains, they compute the idea and they suddenly get it and they are like 'oh yes, I understand what this is'."

36. Close of chocolate shoe in real shoe size

37. Various of chocolate shoe being held outside of box

38. Close of reindeer moss chocolates being put into gift box

39. Close of moss chocolate

40. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kristi Lehtis, specialist chocolate maker, Chocolala

"So moss is a very special product."

41. Close of reindeer moss chocolate

42. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kristi Lehtis, specialist chocolate maker, Chocolala

"Blueberries and moss they grow together and while I was picking blueberries I thought it would be nice to take something from the forest along, something more and the moss is actually widely used by the chefs as well at the restaurants because you can make it with beetroot for example and it's a pink moss, but we make it with chocolate you can caramelise it we have lots of different ways and it gives texture because it's nice to have the chocolate plus the texture so together it's a great product and something that people haven't tried. There are a lot of people who want something special who have tried everything and they don't know what to give as a present, so this something that they haven't tried."

43. Close of carton filled with reindeer moss

44. Close of Lehtis

45. Mid of Lehtis filling gift box

With sparks flying from a welder at work behind him, Simon Boyd's voice rises as he explains why he believes the United Kingdom should leave the European Union even though his company, Reid Steel, has put up buildings across the 28-nation bloc, from the Netherlands to Poland and Italy.

The EU saddles smaller businesses with reams of unnecessary regulations, says Boyd, Managing Director of the UK's largest steel construction company, based in the southern town of Christchurch, England.

That dilutes Britain's reputation for quality and threatens the nation's sovereignty. But more importantly, he claims, it is costing companies like his.

The views of small business owners like Boyd will be key to the outcome of the 23 June referendum on Britain's EU membership, which polls show is still close.

The country's 5.4 million small and medium-size enterprises account for 99 percent of Britain's businesses and employ 15.6 million people, or half of those working in the private sector.

While the media has focused on the fact that most large companies back EU membership, opinion is divided among smaller firms.

When the Federation of Small Businesses surveyed its members last year, it found that 47 percent supported EU membership and 41 percent wanted to leave.

However, a February poll found that 42 percent said their votes could still be swayed.

"I think we have to take this opportunity," Boyd said with passion. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to take back control of our own destiny. From a business perspective the European Union has been very bad for us. We are over-regulated and held back as a result of that overregulation."

The federation has asked both campaigns to detail the economic costs and benefits of EU membership and of leaving the bloc.

Answering those questions is another matter, said Angus Armstrong, an economist at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

"No country the size of the United Kingdom has ever left such an integrated economic union," he said. "In other words, there is no precedent to look back upon and draw some lessons - so we're in uncharted territory here. Many people say they would like to have more facts. The difficulty is we haven't been here before."

The International Monetary Fund said this month that a vote to leave the EU would lead to a "protracted period of heightened uncertainty" as Britain would be forced to negotiate bilateral trade deals with its former European partners and countries around the world. That would trigger volatility in financial markets and slow economic growth, the fund said.

The Bank of England says a so-called Brexit would also weaken the pound, increasing the cost of imported goods and spurring inflation.

That uncertainty is likely to hit smaller businesses harder than others mainly by making it more difficult for them to get loans - banks tend to shun riskier loans during times of stress.

Uncertainty is exactly what frightens many small business owners, who don't have the resources of global conglomerates to adjust to dramatic changes.

Birmingham spice trader Jason Wouhra is one of the worried.

His family-run business, East End Foods, started out with a corner store that sold fresh chicken and grew into one of the largest importers of ethnic food ingredients in the UK.

He is voting to stay, in large part because he fears that a vote to leave would trigger a decade or more of trade negotiations.

"I'm not comfortable with the uncertainty of moving out," Wouhra said.

If Britain leaves the EU, Wouhra fears he would need to re-write all the labels on his company's products and repackage the boxes for every country he trades with.

"It would be a huge expense, possibly going into millions of pounds," he said.

But Boyd - who has 130 employees - argues that for smaller companies the benefits of leaving the EU far outweigh the risks of leaving.

Rather than profiting from the EU membership, Reid Steel is actually losing contracts in France because local rules require the company to have a type of insurance you can only buy if you're French, he said.

Moreover, Boyd believes that British companies "will be freer" if the UK leaves the union because they won't have to jump through the EU's regulatory hoops, he said.

With sparks flying from a welder at work behind him, Simon Boyd's voice rises as he explains why he believes the United Kingdom should leave the European Union even though his company, Reid Steel, has put up buildings across the 28-nation bloc, from the Netherlands to Poland and Italy.

The EU saddles smaller businesses with reams of unnecessary regulations, says Boyd, Managing Director of the UK's largest steel construction company, based in the southern town of Christchurch, England.

That dilutes Britain's reputation for quality and threatens the nation's sovereignty. But more importantly, he claims, it is costing companies like his.

The views of small business owners like Boyd will be key to the outcome of the 23 June referendum on Britain's EU membership, which polls show is still close.

The country's 5.4 million small and medium-size enterprises account for 99 percent of Britain's businesses and employ 15.6 million people, or half of those working in the private sector.

While the media has focused on the fact that most large companies back EU membership, opinion is divided among smaller firms.

When the Federation of Small Businesses surveyed its members last year, it found that 47 percent supported EU membership and 41 percent wanted to leave.

However, a February poll found that 42 percent said their votes could still be swayed.

"I think we have to take this opportunity," Boyd said with passion. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to take back control of our own destiny. From a business perspective the European Union has been very bad for us. We are over-regulated and held back as a result of that overregulation."

The federation has asked both campaigns to detail the economic costs and benefits of EU membership and of leaving the bloc.

Answering those questions is another matter, said Angus Armstrong, an economist at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

"No country the size of the United Kingdom has ever left such an integrated economic union," he said. "In other words, there is no precedent to look back upon and draw some lessons - so we're in uncharted territory here. Many people say they would like to have more facts. The difficulty is we haven't been here before."

The International Monetary Fund said this month that a vote to leave the EU would lead to a "protracted period of heightened uncertainty" as Britain would be forced to negotiate bilateral trade deals with its former European partners and countries around the world. That would trigger volatility in financial markets and slow economic growth, the fund said.

The Bank of England says a so-called Brexit would also weaken the pound, increasing the cost of imported goods and spurring inflation.

That uncertainty is likely to hit smaller businesses harder than others mainly by making it more difficult for them to get loans - banks tend to shun riskier loans during times of stress.

Uncertainty is exactly what frightens many small business owners, who don't have the resources of global conglomerates to adjust to dramatic changes.

Birmingham spice trader Jason Wouhra is one of the worried.

His family-run business, East End Foods, started out with a corner store that sold fresh chicken and grew into one of the largest importers of ethnic food ingredients in the UK.

He is voting to stay, in large part because he fears that a vote to leave would trigger a decade or more of trade negotiations.

"I'm not comfortable with the uncertainty of moving out," Wouhra said.

If Britain leaves the EU, Wouhra fears he would need to re-write all the labels on his company's products and repackage the boxes for every country he trades with.

"It would be a huge expense, possibly going into millions of pounds," he said.

But Boyd - who has 130 employees - argues that for smaller companies the benefits of leaving the EU far outweigh the risks of leaving.

Rather than profiting from the EU membership, Reid Steel is actually losing contracts in France because local rules require the company to have a type of insurance you can only buy if you're French, he said.

Moreover, Boyd believes that British companies "will be freer" if the UK leaves the union because they won't have to jump through the EU's regulatory hoops, he said.

AP TELEVISION

Christchurch - 23 May 2016

1. Various of steel welding

2. Wide of worker prepping cutting of steel

3. Various of steel cutting process

4. Various of Managing Director of Reid Steel Simon Boyd looking at construction plan

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Boyd, Managing Director, Reid Steel:

"I think we have to take this opportunity, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, to take back control of hour own destiny. From a business perspective the European Union has been very bad for us. We are over-regulated and held back as a result of that regulation."

6. Cutaway of Reid Steel sign on machinery

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Boyd, Managing Director, Reid Steel:

"We're the fifth biggest economy, we're the biggest trading partner, and I think outside the European Union, where the growing market is, where we export a lot of our product, we will be freer, we won't have all these regulatory hoops to jump through that nobody else on the world market has to jump through."

Birmingham - 18 May 2016

8. Various of rice being sifted through machine at East End Foods factory

9. Spice product on conveyer belt

10. Pan of worker with spices putting them into boxes

11. Various of spices and package assembling

12. Tracking shot of East End Foods cash and carry store

13. Various set ups of Jason Wouhra, East End Foods Chairman

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Jason Wouhra, East End Foods Chairman:

"The ease of trade within Europe is one of the key points from a business perspective. You're able to ship product all over the European Union without any problem. In terms of intellectual property, our trademarks are registered all over the world and the registrations within Europe were the easiest to put through because it's one application for the brand and cost-wise and efficientcy-wise that's excellent. So there are a lot of advantages in terms of the European perspective that help us as a business. And I'm not comfortable with the uncertainty of moving out to be honest."

15. Cutaway of shelves being stacked

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Jason Wouhra, East End Foods Chairman:

"No one actually knows how it will all transpire, but as an example, we do, East End Foods has 1,300 products in the portfolio. The labelling regulations are such that if they change, we would be in a position that we would have to re-label all of those products potentially, each label costing us a couple of thousand pounds (about 2,800 US dollars) to originate and then the costs of plastics, the cost of materials that we have to reinvest in, it would be a huge expense, possibly going into millions of pounds."

London - 16 May 2016

17. Various set ups of Dr Angus Armstrong, Director of Macroeconomics at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Angus Armstrong, Director of Macroeconomics, National Institute of Economic and Social Research:

"No country the size of the United Kingdom has ever left such an integrated economic union as the United Kingdom. In other words, there is no precedent to look back on and draw lessons – so we're in uncharted territory here. Many people say they would like to have more facts. The difficulty is we haven't been here before, and so necessarily there is a lot of uncertainty."

19. Cutaway

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Angus Armstrong, Director of Macroeconomics, National Institute of Economic and Social Research:

"The single market involves a single set of rules. Now for some people, those rules can be perhaps intrusive, and expensive. Many people point to certain rules, which they say cost UK businesses money. On the other hand, it means the same set of rules makes it easier to compete with European counterparts, so it means small companies don't have to worry about recognising different qualifications or being able to access European markets. On the one hand, you have the cost of higher regulations, on the other hand, you have access to a single market with very few barriers."

Birmingham - 18 May 2016

21. Various of flags outside East End Foods factory including St George's (England) and EU flag