Initiative highlights diversity of career opportunities in UK food system in bid to address skills gaps in technical, engineering and digital roles
The UK food system is under increasing pressure, with labour shortages and skills gaps creating a significant workforce challenge for the industry.
That’s according to IGD, which has relaunched its ‘Mmmake Your Mark’ cross-industry initiative to help attract talent to the food industry by collaboratively raising awareness of the diversity of career opportunities it has to offer.
IGD says its research indicates that the problem is set to escalate if proactive action is not taken to address what it calls a “ticking workforce timebomb”.
Crucially, the industry struggles to recruit technical, engineering and digital roles, as awareness of STEM based careers in food is low, and the campaign aims to help address that.
In the next 10 years, the UK population will grow from 69.9 million in 2025 to 73.4m, according to ONS projections, meaning more food and drink will be needed. Some will be sourced from abroad but, realistically, UK food and drink capacity will have to increase to meet the population demand.
With existing workforce challenges set to worsen, IGD stresses that it is critical for businesses to think about tomorrow’s workforce today, by recruiting and training the people they need now.
An important part of that process is attracting young talent into the food system at the start of their careers, as well as highlighting that the range and flexibility of industry roles.
Last year, 4.2 million people worked in the food and drink supply chain in the UK, making up around 13 per cent of all employment, or more than one in eight jobs, according to Defra statistics.
IGD says its Mmmake Your Mark campaign “harnesses that scale to attract talent, by uniting the industry, trade bodies and government to showcase the diverse and rewarding career opportunities available”.
The initiative celebrates the wide variety of people working in the sector and shines a spotlight on the industry’s key role in addressing critical global challenges. These include healthy lifestyles, climate change, food security, and economic growth – all of which are of particular interest to young people.
In 2024, 55 businesses came together for the campaign, reaching over seven million people on social media. This year, IGD is calling on more businesses to get involved, to create even greater impact.
On Wednesday 27 August, IGD is encouraging all businesses across the food system to posting on social media about careers in the industry and to share any other posts using the hashtag #mmmakeyourmark or tag @mmmakeyourmark.
IGD’s CEO Sarah Bradbury said: “The workforce timebomb is something we simply cannot ignore as an industry. If we fail to take collective action, not only will it have a commercial impact for businesses, but it also becomes a UK food security issue, affecting accessibility of food and inflation.
“We know from our own learning and development programmes that young people are largely unaware of the opportunities available and skills required in the food system, as well as the sense of purpose and impact a career in food and drink can offer.
“This issue is exacerbated by factors such as the decrease of entry into the industry through routes such as Saturday jobs. Being involved in Mmmake Your Mark on 27 August is a clear step businesses can take to put a food and drink career firmly on people’s radars.”
IGD has created a range of fully adaptable assets for Mmmake Your Mark to help organisations take part. Inspiration and examples of last year’s activity can be found on the campaign’s LinkedIn page and questions can be directed to mmmakeyourmark@igd.com.
