Food and drink workforce – a quiet crisis building?
26 February 2026Providing an up-to-date analysis of the labour market, including the challenges and opportunities facing food and drink.
UK food and drink faces a quiet workforce crisis. Labour shortages, tightening supply and rising employment costs are steadily increasing risk - both now and over the long term. Our new report explains what’s changing and what must happen next.
Download the new report 'Food and drink workforce - a quiet crisis building?' to understand:
Why workforce pressures have remained largely hidden - and why that is starting to change
How shifts in the UK labour market are constraining labour supply
Where vacancies across the food and drink system are most concentrated
Why young adults are central to stabilising and renewing the workforce
The growing risks to resilience, productivity and service levels
What government and businesses can do now to strengthen workforce capacity
How the sector can build a smaller, more skilled and more productive future workforce
What IGD is doing to support the sector, including industry‑wide action to attract, develop and retain future talent