A report from the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), titled ‘Food and drink workforce – a quiet crisis building?’, has warned that long-term structural workforce shortages across the UK food system pose a “growing risk” to national food security.
IGD said it was issuing a “rallying cry” for coordinated industry action to address challenges facing industry, including workforce shortages and skills gaps, as pressures become “increasingly difficult” for businesses to absorb behind the scenes.
The report highlighted that businesses have “shielded consumers from disruption”, but warned that supermarket shelves were now seeing reduced availability, declining service levels, rising costs and increased operational strain throughout the supply chain.
IGD identified several forces driving long-term instability:
- An ageing population, with a growing share of workers retiring and fewer people entering the labour market
- Rising long-term illness among working-age adults, shrinking labour supply further
- Migration policies that limit access to people the industry has historically relied on
- An education and training system that does not consistently produce work-ready candidates, leaving employers reporting gaps in both technical and soft skills
- Changing expectations of work among younger generations
The report also said that signs of strain were “already clear”, with longer vacancy fill times, rising burnout, worsening skills gaps and succession challenges in critical roles such as HGV drivers, engineers and frontline operations.
“We have a responsibility, as the nation’s largest private sector employer, to give young people the future they deserve, as part of a confident, skilled, future-ready workforce.”
IGD has responded by relaunching its Feeding Britain’s Future industry programme, first introduced in 2012, and will focus on six interventions designed to strengthen the industry’s talent pipeline and support employers to attract, retain and develop essential skills.
The six interventions will aim to:
- Provide free, cross industry early-career learning to build confidence and highlight long-term careers in food and drink
- Deliver a national schools programme to build skills, confidence and awareness of sector opportunities
- Increase visibility of food sector careers across widely used platforms and digital channels
- Establish strategic university partnerships to raise the profile of food and drink careers
- Deliver scalable work experience opportunities to build confidence and practical skills for young people
- Bring the industry together to amplify a collective voice and champion food and drink careers
IGD has called for a strengthened Government partnership, including a national workforce strategy for food and drink, reform of the Growth and Skills Levy, greater certainty on seasonal and skills-based immigration routes and improved alignment between Jobcentre support, local skills planning and the needs of a strategically critical sector.
Commenting on the report, Naomi Kissman, social impact director at IGD, said: “This quiet 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.
“At the same time, the UK is facing a growing crisis of youth opportunity. We have a responsibility, as the nation’s largest private sector employer, to give young people the future they deserve, as part of a confident, skilled, future-ready workforce.”
