Webinar
Food Industry in 2040: Is a 50% Workforce Reduction Inevitable?
Food and Nutrition
Industrial Equipment
In this forward-looking discussion, we explore how automation could reshape food manufacturing through 2040, from operations and capital investment to workforce models and skills. The question is shifting from how much can be automated? to where does automation create the greatest operational advantage?
- Will the food industry lose 50% of its workforce by 2040?
Not necessarily. The bigger shift is likely to be in workforce composition: fewer repetitive, low-skilled roles, with greater demand for technical talent across robotics, system integration, maintenance, and digital monitoring.
- Which food industry roles are most exposed to automation?
Repetitive production, inspection, material handling, packaging, and other standardized activities face the greatest exposure. Roles requiring technical judgment, problem-solving, oversight, and adaptability are more likely to evolve alongside automation.
- What should food manufacturers do now?
The priority is not automation for its own sake, but identifying where it improves throughput, consistency, resilience, and economics. That means considering technology investment alongside workforce planning, retraining, integration, and the flexibility to adapt as production needs change.
Here’s what you can expect:
- 25% of capital spending in food and beverage manufacturing is expected to be directed toward automation over the next five years.
- Labor shortages have cost UK food manufacturing €1.4 billion since 2022, strengthening the economic case for automation.
- AI, robotics, and automation could reduce repetitive roles while increasing demand for technically skilled workers.
- Automation can improve consistency and reduce human error in repetitive and critical processes.
- High capital costs, skills gaps, legacy systems, and integration complexity remain significant barriers.
- By 2040, the defining change may be less about replacing people and more about redesigning where human capability creates value in an increasingly automated factory.
This webinar examines that transition to analyze where automation makes economic sense, how workforce requirements could change, and what different adoption pathways could mean for food manufacturers through 2040.
