UK food industry prepares for transformative Future of the UK Food System conference in 2025
The UK food and drink industry is gearing up for a landmark event, as IGD hosts its highly anticipated Future of the UK Food System conference on 1st October 2025 at The Brewery in London. Drawing together over 500 industry leaders, the conference is set to provide a vital platform for dialogue and insight on shaping a resilient, sustainable, and thriving food system amidst unprecedented challenges.
Industry stalwarts and influential thinkers will converge to discuss a broad range of pressing topics, including managing market turbulence, unlocking rural growth opportunities, leveraging cutting-edge technology, addressing climate resilience, reducing food waste, and encouraging healthier, sustainable diets. This multifaceted agenda reflects the complex challenges and responsibilities facing the UK food sector.
Among the confirmed speakers are notable figures such as Adam Couch, Chief Executive of Cranswick plc; Alex Freudmann, Managing Director at M&S Food; Henry Dimbleby MBE, co-founder of Bramble Partners and the Sustainable Restaurant Association; and Jack Bobo, Executive Director of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies. Their participation underscores the conference’s status as an essential forum for forward-thinking leadership. IGD CEO Sarah Bradbury expressed enthusiasm about the event, highlighting the sector's "opportunity to build a resilient and thriving food system that works for everyone" through collaboration and insight.
IGD’s role extends beyond convening events. It acts as co-secretariat for the Food Strategy Advisory Board, working closely with government departments, including Defra, and industry leaders to support the UK's comprehensive food strategy. This strategy addresses critical goals such as ensuring accessible healthy food, enhancing food security, reducing environmental impacts, and driving economic growth across the food system. The conference will also serve to underline and propel these strategic priorities through shared industry commitment.
Further contextualising the industry’s sustainability ambitions is IGD’s recent commissioning of the 'Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System,' developed in partnership with EY and WRAP. The report sets forth an ambitious roadmap for the sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% in agriculture and completely decarbonise energy and transport components. It aims to foster pre-competitive collaboration across the food sector to meet the UK’s legally binding climate targets aligned with a 1.5-degree science-based temperature outcome. These efforts illustrate the deepening commitment to environmental stewardship across the supply chain, which will be a focal point in the conference discussions.
IGD’s portfolio of events—including their upcoming Co-op Trade Briefing—demonstrates an ongoing commitment to providing industry leaders with the latest market insights and strategic guidance. The Future of the UK Food System conference is distinguished by its comprehensive agenda and the calibre of its speakers, designed to equip delegates with the vision and tools needed to navigate the sector’s evolving landscape successfully.
In a sector often marked by volatility and rapid change, such gatherings are vital to fostering collaboration, innovation, and shared understanding. The conference promises valuable discourse and inspiration to advance the food industry’s progress toward a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive future.