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Irish food and drinks companies are generally positive about the future, despite issues with inflation, input costs and labour availability.

That is according to a survey of over 100 companies undertaken by Love Irish Food and Bank of Ireland in March and April of this year.

Much has been said about rising costs for businesses in Ireland, but nevertheless most food and drink businesses who took part in this survey were optimistic about the year ahead.

80% of respondents were confident in their business and predicting future growth.

Seven in 10 are planning to launch new products and services in the next 12 months and 60% of companies are planning to invest in enhanced brand awareness measures and cutting edge digital strategies.

Half of the companies reported production automation and operational efficiencies as key investment areas.

Despite the optimistic outlook 85% of companies cited rising input costs and inflationary pressures as the biggest threats to growth, alongside wage inflation (66%) and labour availability (55%) - with a lack of appropriate skills and high accommodation costs the top concerns when it comes to labour availability.

The survey indicated that retaining staff also remains a key priority for Irish food businesses.