The food and drink industry today launched a major new drive to tackle its ongoing recruitment crisis, under a new campaign called ‘Mmmake Your Mark’.
Backed by a who’s who of suppliers and retailers, the campaign has also been given the government stamp of approval with endorsement from The Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain (2023 Defra), although it is being solely funded by the IGD.
The campaign stems from a recommendation in an independent review led by a panel of industry experts into labour shortages commissioned by the Food & Drink Sector Council.
In 2023 the panel, chaired by former CEO of G’s Fresh Group John Shropshire, called for urgent government intervention to tackle workforce shortages, including measures to improve access to migrant labour post-Brexit, reform the apprenticeship levy, and invest in domestic workers.
But its first recommendation was a comprehensive strategy to enhance the attractiveness of the sector, after a series of roundtables and a review of evidence found the food industry was failing to recruit enough employees because of a lack of attractiveness over status, pay, progression and location.
The review called for a targeted campaign to change public perceptions, as well as a series of government actions to tackle fundamental issues with the workforce.
IGD said the campaign would showcase the sector as a dynamic and vibrant place to work, with suppliers and retailers having agreed to publish material across their social media platforms.
Mmmake Your Mark, said the IGD, was “just the beginning” of closer industry collaboration to attract future talent into the sector. Work is also underway to strengthen ties between the industry and the careers system, including rolling out nationwide initiatives in schools, colleges, job centres, and prisons to inspire more people to take up work within food and drink.
Research conducted by Censuswide, on behalf of IGD, across more than 2,000 16 to 24-year-olds found that whilst it accounts for 7% of our national economy and is the country’s largest private sector employer, the food and drink industry was not on the radar of young people.
Almost half (49%) of those who responded said they had never considered a food sector career.
Meanwhile the roles of software engineer (51%), data scientist (41%), technologist (41%) and biochemist (36%) were among job roles that 16 to 24-year-olds were widely unaware even existed in food and drink.
The campaign will seek to highlight the diversity of opportunities, challenge perceptions, and emphasise the industry’s role in tackling issues such as nutrition, healthy lifestyles, climate change, food security and economic growth.
“Food security is national security, and the backbone of a robust food supply chain is a skilled domestic workforce,” said minister for food security Daniel Zeichner.
“Attracting bright new talent to the industry is vital for the future of UK food, and this campaign showcases the UK’s food and drink industry as a vibrant place to work.”
Ash Amirahmadi, co-chair of the FDSC Workforce Sub-Committee and CEO of Sofina Foods, said: “Our industry offers a wealth of exciting opportunities. I’m immensely proud to see businesses, trade bodies, and government unite around a common goal – to showcase everything the food and drink sector has to offer. Through Mmmake Your Mark, we will inspire the next generation of talent to envision their future in our diverse and brilliant industry.”
Fellow co-chair and IGD CEO Sarah Bradbury added: “Food and drink is the largest private sector employer in the UK, representing over four million talented people. This campaign harnesses that scale, uniting our industry to celebrate what makes it so dynamic and rewarding. You can pursue a huge range of careers within food and drink – and together, we’ll show that it’s a place where each individual can make an impact, with great opportunities for development and progression.”
Read more:
-
Aldi calls on A-level students to apply for apprenticeship roles
-
Unite campaigns for workers to receive 100% of tips
-
Will an Asda reset reclaim worker and shopper affections?
FWD CEO James Bielby said: “Over the last few years, recruitment into the food and drink sector has become increasingly difficult.
“Defra recognises that the industry required a collective nationwide campaign to highlight career opportunities and showcase the great raft of roles on offer. It is encouraging that this campaign is being launched, and is being supported by the entire supply chain.
“This industry is a fantastic place to work, offering a vast range of roles from HGV drivers to depot pickers, sustainability specialists, chefs, graphic designers, sales and marketing, and accounts. The food and drink industry in the UK has great scope for career progression and it’s the hope that this campaign will go some way to showcase that to job seekers.”
No comments yet