The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) has launched a new campaign to encourage more people to join the UK food and drink industry. 

The Mmmake Your Mark campaign was created to tackle the workforce crisis currently affecting the industry, caused by labour shortages and skills gaps. 

The IGD said new research it commissioned showed a significant disconnect between young people’s career aspirations and their awareness of opportunities within the food and drink trade. 

It mirrors a similar initiative – National Wine Careers Week – launched in May this year, which aimed to raise awareness of career paths in the wine trade. 

The IGD’s research found that 57% of young people aged 16–25 felt pressured by teachers or parents to pursue traditional careers such as law, medicine or finance, even if these were not aligned with their interests. 

Furthermore, although 78% of respondents expressed a passion for food and drink, 72% said they did not consider it a sector where they could find their purpose and develop essential skills. 

The IGD-led campaign aims to break down these preconceptions and raise awareness of less visible roles in food and drink, such as AI, cybersecurity, engineering and analytics. 

Social media and creative campaign assets can be downloaded from the IGD to help disseminate the message. 

The charity is calling for the support of the food and drink industry via social media, suggesting posts about the campaign from 27 August and throughout September. 

As part of this, businesses are asked to showcase the roles within their trade in the hope of inspiring the next generation. 

The campaign comes at a time when UK labour shortages within food and drink are rising. According to the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) State of the Industry report, published in May this year, vacancy rates are now at 3.9%, up from 3.6% in Q4 2024. 

The FDF said these vacancies impact all jobs across the industry, including less-considered roles such as production and warehouse operatives, skilled machine operators and quality assurance staff. 

Sarah Bradbury, CEO of the IGD, said: “The food and drink industry is one of the UK’s most dynamic and largest private-sector employers, offering incredible careers which are professional, varied, high-tech and well-paid. Through our cross-industry Mmmake Your Mark campaign, we want to bridge this knowledge gap and showcase to parents, career advisors and young people the rewarding careers available in our industry.” 

John Yarham, interim CEO of The Careers & Enterprise Company, added: “The food and drink industry is vital to the UK economy, yet it faces urgent skills and workforce challenges. Mmmake Your Mark is a leading example of how industry and education can come together to showcase the exciting, purposeful careers on offer and inspire the next generation to take their best next step.”