Building the food industry's future workforce

The food industry has a significant opportunity to help tackle youth unemployment while securing the workforce it will need in the years ahead, according to DWP minister Andrew Western. 

Speaking at IGD’s Future of the UK Food System 2026 conference, Western highlighted the scale and diversity of the food industry and the employment opportunities it provides across the country. 

With net migration falling and the UK population ageing, he posed an important question for employers: where will the workforce of the future come from? 

For the food industry, part of the answer could lie in the nearly one million young people currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). 

Western argued that this presented a significant opportunity for the sector, particularly given its presence in communities across the UK. He linked this to the Government’s ambition to deliver “growth in every postcode”. 

Opening young people's eyes to opportunity 

A central theme of the Minister’s speech was the need to give young people much greater exposure to the world of work. 

He highlighted findings from the interim Milburn Review suggesting that many young people who are NEET have never had a job, arguing that the UK needs to “ramp up work experience”. 

But work experience is about more than adding something to a young person’s CV. Western described early intervention as being about “opening their eyes to opportunities they did not know about”. 

That matters particularly for food and consumer goods, where young people may have limited awareness of the breadth of careers available across retail, manufacturing, supply chains and the wider food system. 

Western welcomed IGD’s work on modern work experience and Feeding Britain’s Future. Nearly 100 companies are now involved in the programme, helping young people understand the opportunities available across the industry. 

A challenge for employers 

Government intervention alone, however, will not solve the problem. 

Western said the causes of economic inactivity among young people have “deep roots” and argued that addressing them will require wider systemic change. 

With the full Milburn Review due to report, he described this as “a national cause we need to get behind”, adding: “We can make a real difference.” 

For food businesses, the opportunity is twofold. Retail, manufacturing and the out-of-home sector can provide routes into employment for young people who are struggling to enter the labour market. At the same time, widening those routes could help businesses respond to the longer-term challenge of finding the people and skills they need. 

That makes work experience and early engagement with young people more than a social impact issue. It is increasingly a workforce and business resilience issue too. 

Find out more 

Nearly 100 companies are already supporting young people through Feeding Britain’s Future. Read Future talent: turning work experience into opportunity to explore practical steps employers can take.