From AI to cybersecurity, engineering and analytics, many roles in UK food and drink industry are going unnoticed

New research commissioned by IGD reveals a significant disconnect between young people's career aspirations and their awareness of diverse opportunities within the UK's food and drink industry.

Its survey, involving over 1,000 young people aged 16-25 and 1,000 parents, underscores a pressing need to reframe the industry's image and highlight its breadth of modern career paths.

38% of young people aged 16-25 cite their parents or guardians as the single biggest influence on their career considerations. This influence often translates into pressure, with 57% of young people admitting they have felt pressure from parents or teachers to pursue 'traditional' or 'safe' careers such as law, medicine, or finance, even if not aligned with their interests.

Strikingly, despite this external pressure, 61% of young people expressed a genuine passion for creative and service led industries, including careers in food, hospitality, and media. However, 19% do not realise they can pursue these passions within a career in the food and drink industry.

From AI and cybersecurity, to engineering and analytics, many roles in the food and drink industry go unnoticed. 19% of young people surveyed admit to not being aware of the jobs available. 72% do not consider it a place where they could discover their purpose and learn essential skills, even though 78% of respondents have a passion that could be met in the food and drinks space.

Sarah Bradbury, CEO, IGD, comments: "The food and drink industry is one of the UK’s most dynamic and largest private sector employers, offering incredible careers which are professional, varied, high tech, and well paid. Through our cross-industry Mmmake Your Mark campaign, we want to bridge this knowledge gap and showcase to parents, career advisors and young people the rewarding careers available in our industry.”

“Young people are often unaware of the incredible career paths and sense of purpose they can find in the food and drink industry. By joining the Mmmake Your Mark campaign, businesses can help put these careers front and centre, attracting the next generation of talent.” 

Balwinder Dhoot, Director of Growth and Sustainability, The Food and Drink Federation says: “From data and sustainability experts, to product developers and food scientists, food and drink manufacturing provides half a million jobs in every corner of the UK, all contributing to a thriving food system.”

“The next decade will be critical for our sector as we look towards achieving net zero, shaping healthier diets and unlocking a £14 billion growth opportunity through AI, digital technology and automation. But this can only be achieved with the right people to drive this growth. That’s why raising awareness of the exciting career opportunities in the UK’s largest manufacturing sector is so important.”

John Yarham, Interim CEO of The Careers & Enterprise Company, says: “The food and drink industry is vital to the UK economy, yet it faces urgent skills and workforce challenges. Mmmake Your Mark is a leading example of how industry and education can come together to showcase the exciting, purposeful careers on offer and inspire the next generation to take their best next step.”

The UK food system employs 4.2 million people, making up around 13% of all employment, or more than one in eight jobs. However, IGD predicts that the workforce challenge is set to escalate if proactive action is not taken by the industry.

This is because in the next ten years, the UK population will grow from 69.9 million (2025) to 73.4 million (2035), meaning more food and drink will be needed. Some will be sourced from abroad but IGD argues that, realistically, UK food and drink capacity will have to increase to meet demand.

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, which is now open for entries. 

Deadline for submissions is Friday, 5th December. It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January.