IGD Sounds Alarm On UK Food System As Workforce Risk Grows

The UK’s food system is facing “a quiet crisis” that could threaten national food security unless urgent action is taken to tackle structural workforce shortages, the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) has warned.

According to the grocery research and insight body, long-term labour gaps and skills shortfalls across the food and drink sector continue to escalate, creating increasing risk to supply chain resilience and consumer access to food.

IGD’s latest analysis underscores that employment pressures are far from short-term blips and reflect deeper demographic and structural challenges across the industry. The organisation warns that without coordinated workforce development and recruitment strategies, the sector could be left vulnerable at multiple levels – from farm to retailer.

In its starkest assessment yet, IGD said the UK food system “is at risk without workforce action,” pointing to persistent shortages of skilled staff across logistics, technical, engineering and digital roles.

Commenting on the situation, Sarah Bradbury, Chief Executive of IGD, said: “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.”

IGD has previously highlighted that the food and drink supply chain employs millions of UK workers and accounts for a significant share of national employment. Those figures underline the scale of the challenge, and the breadth of roles the industry must fill to remain resilient in the face of evolving consumer and market demands.

To address the deepening issue, the organisation is calling for greater industry focus on long-term talent attraction, skills development and adaptable career pathways – especially for young people and new entrants to the sector.

As the sector continues to navigate broader economic and supply-chain uncertainty, IGD’s warning adds to a growing chorus of voices urging employers, policymakers and educators to collaborate on building a future-fit workforce for Britain’s food system.

Source: IDG