Last week, Partners James Watson and Regina Stapleton from our UK and Ireland Food and Drink team attended the FDF Investment Summit 2025, “Powering Productivity.”
The summit focused on unlocking the industry’s full growth potential, exploring how strengthened government–industry collaboration can provide regulatory stability, ease inflationary pressures, and drive the investment required to build a dynamic and innovative future for UK food and drink manufacturing. The clear vision shared by FDF CEO Karen Betts and Rt Hon Emma Reynolds MP is welcome to accelerate growth across the industry.
Here are our key takeaways from the summit:
Powering productivity through tech adoption:
- Data governance as the foundation for AI: Robust data governance is essential for enabling effective AI adoption and realising its full value across the industry
- AI for improved cost transparency: In the ongoing challenge of balancing inflation and productivity, AI offers the ability to identify true cost drivers and support more informed decision-making
Stimulating growth in the everyday economy:
- Emphasis on creating the conditions for growth: The industry has navigated years of disruption from Brexit, Covid-19, global conflicts, new EPR mandates – in a volatile and fast changing world, government’s role in creating stability and confidence to support investment is key. The new food inflation gateway is a clear signal of intent, and the industry will welcome further initiatives in this space; but further investment is needed to enable the industry to adopt renewable solutions, mitigating the impact of rising energy costs while accelerating progress toward decarbonisation and national net-zero commitments
- Substantial export potential: Strong British brands, known product quality, and food-tech capabilities offer significant opportunities for growth, provided regulatory hurdles can be overcome with government commitment
- Skills shortages in data, AI, and technology: The industry faces a critical skills gap in digital and technical capabilities. More training initiatives and targeted interventions are needed to support workforce development in these areas
- The sequencing, pace, and scale of change must be carefully managed: To navigate these significant headwinds, the food and drink industry requires a robust, well-funded government strategy that provides the support necessary for sustainable growth and resilience
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