Overturning the ‘threat’ of the chicken factory

Despite its size and importance, food and drink manufacturing largely operates behind the scenes and out of the minds of young people.

The skills crisis is not unfamiliar to the sector, which has long struggled to recruit and retain talent. But as the issue persists, the danger of this growing gap is becoming far more serious.

Yesterday (22 October) the Government reiterated its call to stockpile food in case of an emergency, launching updated advice around preparedness. The ‘Be Ready’ campaign comes after a particularly volatile six years that shows no sign of a return to ‘normal’.

The industry has done a commendable job, navigating its way through these challenges with little support. As renowned resilience expert Professor Tim Lang describes it, the approach from government has been to “leave it to Tesco et al”.

Regardless of where the onus lies, one thing remains very obvious: without a skilled future pipeline in production, there will be no food.

What’s driving the talent gap?

The industry will be the first to admit that it has an image issue.

It is often used as a threat in schools for those not concentrating in class: ‘If you don’t pay attention, you’ll end up in the chicken factory!’

This negative view of the sector has been fuelled by the education system and society in general, which has severely undervalued the role food and drink plays. You might be able to survive up to 21 days without food if you had access to water. You’d probably last three without that. Either way, it wouldn’t be pleasant.

Despite it being key to our existence, the A Level was axed in 2018 and now the GCSE has come under threat, pushing food and drink production further into the shadows.

It is absurd that something we encounter and rely on every single day has such little appreciation.

I’m not going to sit here and write that factory line work is a breeze though. I know my audience. It’s hard work and it can involve a lot of physical activity in environments that are hot, cold, wet and sometimes a little smelly. But there are a lot of jobs out there that mandate uncomfortable environments. That description (forgive me, folks) is also not a true reflection of the sector. It’s not as one dimensional as that.

The roles within food and drink are vast and varied, with multiple ways to grow and evolve. As a collective, we need to ensure that message is getting across.

Alongside a need to keep Britain fed, there is also a clear economic interest in safeguarding the future of the industry.

Although the UK economy has grown this year, that growth could be seriously hindered if the sector stays on this course.

“Food is one of the biggest manufacturing industries in the whole of the UK,” said Deborah Kotulla, lead technical manager for Asda. “If the UK economy is going to be based on growth and we’re 13% of that growth, we really need to ensure that that pipeline of talent continues.”

‘We need to be less apologetic’

For Robin Leaper, the learning and development manager at the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), the food sector needs to be doing a lot more in terms of outreach.

“You go to a lot of career fairs, such as Big Bang and the National School and College Leavers Festival and there’s not a huge food and drink industry presence,” he said, comparing it to other industries such as the NHS and armed forces.

“They may be poaching people that might be interested.”

Kotulla agreed there is a big issue when it comes to visibility: “Students can’t be what they can’t see.”

Speaking on retailer own label manufacturing, she said that it’s a “real blind spot for students”.

She continued: “Everybody knows who Kellogg’s is, but they don’t always know who ABP, Compleat or Two Sisters Food Group are. As retailer own label manufacturers, we’ve got a bigger job to do there. We need to be less apologetic.”

In 2012, a study from charity LEAF found that more than a third of 16-to-23-year-olds didn’t know bacon was derived from pigs. While 40% did not link milk with the image of a dairy cow and 7% thought it came from wheat.

The disassociation between food and the supply chain is certainly shifting in a more positive direction, with consumers keener to understand where their food comes from. But I would argue, this appetite for information tends to be associated with farming. The popularity of Clarkson’s Farm most likely helped to accelerate this visibility and although shows such as Inside the Factory have helped viewers to peek behind the curtain, it hasn’t had the same impact.

When it comes to job roles, Kotulla is fearful that technical is being left behind. With sustainability and health climbing up the agenda, those positions have the potential to be more appealing. That’s great news of course, but the pipeline of talent needs to be evenly weighted across the sector.

To this end, IFST has put together a food and drink outreach toolkit to help make it easier for technical to devise outreach sessions.

Willing partakers

Collaboration across the sector and educational system is imperative in this mission to address the skills gap – and there is plenty of great initiatives out there, but its reach across the industry doesn’t always extend far enough.

There is also the issue of resource. David Green, technical director at Compleat Food Group, believes this has been a key blocker.

“The thing that stopped collaboration previously is it felt too hard to get started. But the barriers to entry have become a lot easier,” he said.

Kotulla agreed: “The frameworks are being set up for us. All we need to do is participate in them.”

While exposure at a young age appears to be most impactful, the importance of working with universities is also vital – especially following the removal of the food A Level.

But finding willing industry members to work with is tricky, according to Joanne Brown, a lecturer in food science and nutrition at the University of Leeds.

“It is quite difficult to find passionate industry members and [once you do,] you end up going to them more and more.

“It needn’t have to be a big a commitment, but when it falls to just a handful of individuals, then the commitment is hard.

“That’s when it shifts to a bigger job.”

University lecturers like Brown are doing their best to support outreach but she noted it’s been difficult since finances have been cut.

“The amount of budget that I’ve had slashed from outreach, the lack of support that I’m getting from education engagement because there’s not the staff to support me,” she said, sharing the obstacles.

“It means there’s more pressure on me to do outreach initiatives. But I just don’t have the remit.”

Of course, it’s not just Brown under pressure, the technical experts I spoke to too are also struggling to find the space to breathe. This again reinforces the importance of working as a unit.

Because what happens when these “passionate people” retire? Likely the progress achieved will be undone and fail to gain momentum in the future.

“We’re all getting older. We’ve got a lot of challenges coming ahead,” Kotulla warned. “We’ve got loads of regulations coming at us and hitting us until we’re blue in the face.”

Indeed, as the Asda technical lead outlined, how can we tackle the momentous challenges in front of us without the next generation?

“If we don’t all take one small step, and we wait for somebody else to do it, nothing’s ever going to happen,” Kotulla said.

She added: “Doing nothing is not really an option. And however much we think we’re doing, it’s not turning the dial enough.”

How to position the industry

Alongside everyone chipping in, Kotulla believes the sector can also do better in how it positions itself too.

“We’re very good in technical at being the black angels of death and talking about all the negatives. What we’re not always good at doing is talking about all the positives of being in the food industry,” she said.

In particular, she noted that the sector does not articulate how well paid food technical roles are. Nor does it talk about the amazing travel opportunities it can offer.

“I remember going to the Seychelles when I was 28 and being absolutely delighted I was on a business class flight,” she said.

The other experts agreed, but Brown also pointed out the versatility of the sector: “There’s also opportunity to stay local for those who don’t like to travel,” adding that there is usually a food industry [presence] wherever you are in the world.

The other advantage of the sector is the wide variety of jobs, with the ability to move around the industry – whether that’s in different categories or parts of the supply chain.

These kinds of messages need to be put into schools and communicated to parents, who often have a lot of influence over what their children study. The University of Leeds for example, is taking this kind of action, with its summer schools featuring a parents evening.

Brown noted that this is a powerful way to convince them and make a better impact.

But these messages must also be projected onto the platforms where today’s young people spend most of their time – social media. Importantly, however, that kind of communication can’t just come from a faceless business, it needs personality. Going back to Kotulla’s message: you can’t be what you can’t see.

Marks & Spencer’s director of product development, Kathryn Turner, has recently shown how powerful personable TikTok communication can be, garnering more followers than the brand itself. Alongside pushing products available on the Spark’s shelves, she is also doing a great job of showcasing the industry.

Moreover, while Turner is the face, she’s had help from two younger team members in the NPD team, Brandon Spatcher and Francesca Byrne, to get to this point. She has also shared that with her followers, showing comradery and helping to prove that the role of food production is not all damp, dark factory work.

So my call to the sector is to get on these platforms. Work with the younger generation already in your business, listen to them, learn from them. And don’t be afraid to get out there and show the world how wonderful your sector and your job is. People feed off passion.