Government action can unlock £billions from food system

The UK economy can gain £5bn in investment, 60,000 jobs, and £1.3bn annual production value if the government takes strategic action to support the nation’s food system.

These findings come from our new Viewpoint Special report, ‘Driving growth through a thriving food system’, where we identify horticulture and poultry as critical sectors for transforming the economy and improving food security – but only with the right support from government.

Growth concerns

While the financial crisis of 2008-09 was a key event which shifted the UK from moderate growth to persistently low growth, the UK economy was already undermined by pre-existing structural vulnerabilities, such as ageing infrastructure and demographic changes.

These issues have been amplified by a succession of shock events, like Brexit and COVID-19, which have made recovery an uphill battle for several governments.

However, a key driver of recovery and sustainable growth has been under the government’s nose all along.

The food system’s key role

The UK food system is critical to our nation’s infrastructure and wellbeing: it employs 4.2 million people, making up more than one in eight jobs, and in one way or another everyone who works in it helps to keep the country fed and productive.

But it is also uniquely positioned to support purposeful economic recovery via its reach into every community, and its potential to address national challenges, such as food security.

That is the big picture. More specifically, the report identifies horticulture and poultry as priority sectors for government action because they best meet the eight criteria in the IGD Framework for growth. They therefore show the greatest potential for impactful, scalable, and sustainable expansion.

Constrained potential

The UK’s poultry and horticulture sectors are vital for food security, public health, rural economies, and the environment.

Poultry has been an important success story in domestic agriculture, growing 2.7% annually from 2015 to 2024.

Meanwhile, although horticulture is struggling in comparison with domestic output falling 16% in the same period, it shows tremendous promise: Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) could deliver 14x higher yields, add 20,000 jobs, and generate £421 million in value by doubling protected cropping areas.

Both sectors are primed to deliver high-quality employment, innovation, and support for local economies, but they are limited in their potential by fragmented policy, inconsistent local decisions, and weak long-term strategy.

Government must act now

This is why the report urges the government to act with urgency and work with the food and drink industry to create a joint, actionable strategy with clear responsibilities and timelines. Only by drawing on cross-sector expertise to establish a unified national strategy can we unlock the full potential of these critical sectors.

The report identifies special actions for government, ranging from Seasonal Worker Scheme visas to planning and infrastructure strategy.

Find out more by reading the full Viewpoint Special report: ‘Driving growth through a thriving food system’.