The UK food system is under increasing pressure, with labour shortages and skills gaps creating a significant workforce challenge for the industry. IGD foresight reveals that this problem is set to escalate if proactive action is not taken to address the ticking workforce timebomb. In recognition of this, IGD’s cross industry initiative: ‘Mmmake Your Mark’ is returning for 2025, to attract talent by collaboratively raising awareness of the breadth of diverse career opportunities available across the food system.
In the next 10 years, the UK population will grow from 69.9m (2025) to 73.4m (2035), 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, it’s 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 is a strong option for those currently struggling to access work.
Last year, 4.2m people worked in the food and drink supply chain in the UK, making up around 13% of all employment, or more than 1 in 8 jobs. The 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.
In 2024, 55 businesses came together for Mmmake Your Mark, reaching over 7 million people on social media. This year, IGD is calling on more businesses to get involved, to create even greater impact. On Thursday 27 August, IGD encourages all businesses across the food system to join us in posting on social media about careers in the industry and to share any other posts using the hashtag #mmmakeyourmark or tag @mmmakeyourmark.
Sarah Bradbury, CEO of IGD, comments: “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, it also becomes a UK food security issue, affecting accessibility of food and inflation.
“We know from our own learning & 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 27th August is a clear step businesses can take to put a food and drink career firmly on people’s radars.”
The Mmmake Your Mark campaign celebrates the incredible variety of people within the sector, promoting it as a space where individuals can find their purpose, explore new possibilities, and advance their careers. It also shines a spotlight on the industry’s key role in addressing critical global challenges like healthy lifestyles, climate change, food security, and economic growth, which are of particular interest for young people. 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.
IGD is calling on the food system to get involved and be part of the solution in raising awareness around the wide range of opportunities and skills required to have a future proofed and resilient food system. To support this, IGD has created a range of fully adaptable assets for Mmmake Your Mark to help organisations mobilise into action. For instance, businesses can create a social media plan for the campaign, not only to raise the profile of their business, career opportunities and people, but also be part of the cross-industry movement that is driving impact.
All supporting assets and guidance can be found in the Mmmake Your Mark Toolkit or contact mmmakeyourmark@igd.com. You can find inspiration and examples of last year’s activity by following the Mmmake Your Mark LinkedIn page.
