The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) has issued a rallying cry for coordinated industry action to address the challenges facing the UK food industry and its dwindling staff levels.
It says one in eight of all UK jobs are in the food and drink industry - twice the size of the NHS - yet workforce shortages and skills gaps risk affecting future availability, customer service and wider social outcomes.
It reports the UK food system currently employs 4.1m people, yet ongoing labour and skills shortages show little sign of improvement.
To tackle this challenge, the IGD is relaunching its Feeding Britain’s Future movement, with six targeted interventions designed to help the industry strengthen the talent pipeline and support employers.
In a new report from the Institute, Food and Drink Workforce – A Quiet Crisis Building?, it warns workforce shortages pose a growing risk to national food security. It adds that despite years of effort from industry and government, labour and skills gaps show little sign of improvement, with pressures increasingly difficult for businesses to absorb behind the scenes.
So far, it notes they have shielded consumers from disruption, but warns the sector is reaching a tipping point. This ‘quiet crisis’ behind UK stores’ shelves risks becoming visible through “reduced availability, declining service levels, rising costs and increased operational strain throughout the supply chain,” it said.
The IGD has identified several forces driving long‑term instability, including an ageing population, rising long‑term illness among working‑age adults, migration policies that limit access to people the industry has historically relied on, and an education and training system that doesn’t consistently produce work‑ready candidates.
In response, the Institute is expanding and relaunching its Feeding Britain’s Future programme, first introduced in 2012. A launch will follow later this year, but now is “the crucial time for industry to start having conversations and engaging with IGD about the programme and how to get involved,” it urges.
The interventions will provide free, cross-industry early career learning to build confidence and highlight long-term careers in food and drink, as well as delivering a national schools programme to build skills, confidence and awareness of opportunities in the sector.
Th IGD is also calling for a strengthened government partnership, including a national workforce strategy for food and drink, reform of the Growth & Skills Levy, greater certainty on seasonal and skills-based immigration routes and improved alignment between Jobcentre support, local skills planning and the needs of the sector.
Naomi Kissman, social impact director at IGD, said: “This crisis has been building for years, but the pressure is intensifying and will reach a crisis point without a meaningful shift in approach.
“Our analysis shows this is a structural challenge, bigger than any one business, and it requires industry and government working together to secure the future of the UK food system.”
You can now secure your tickets to the Convenience Awards 2026!
Join us on 11 March in Liverpool to celebrate the entire convenience community.
See this year’s finalists and book your seat here.
No comments yet