With UK food and drink turnover hitting £133.6 billion in 2022 and food manufacturing output rising 1.8% in Q4 2022, the sector is still moving in measurable, tangible ways. Yet the picture is changing under the surface as 62% of consumers buy plant based alternatives weekly and meat consumption drops to 75.5kg per person annually. From jobs and exports to what people actually put in their baskets, these are the statistics that explain both the scale and the shift.
Key Takeaways
- UK households consume 85kg of fruit and veg per person annually 2022
- Average UK adult drinks 2.2 litres of soft drinks weekly 2022
- 62% of UK consumers buy plant-based alternatives weekly 2023
- Food and drink sector supports 3.9 million jobs contributing 7.8% to UK employment
- Food and drink manufacturing employs 476,000 people directly in the UK in 2022
- 29% of UK manufacturing workforce is in food and drink sector
- The UK food and drink manufacturing sector contributed £38.2 billion to Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2022
- Total turnover of the UK food and drink industry reached £133.6 billion in 2022
- Food and drink manufacturing accounts for 18% of total UK manufacturing GVA
- UK produces 60% of food consumed domestically by volume 2022
- Food manufacturing output increased 1.8% in Q4 2022
- 7,500 food and drink manufacturing businesses in UK 2022
- UK food and drink exports reached £23.2 billion in 2022
- Food and drink exports grew 8.4% year-on-year to £23 billion in 2022
- EU remains top destination for 58% of UK food and drink exports
The UK food and drink sector drives jobs and growth with rising plant based demand.
Related reading
01 · Category
Consumer Trends And Consumption24 stats
01
UK households consume 85kg of fruit and veg per person annually 2022
02
Average UK adult drinks 2.2 litres of soft drinks weekly 2022
03
62% of UK consumers buy plant-based alternatives weekly 2023
04
UK meat consumption per capita 75.5kg annually down 5% since 2015
05
28% growth in low/no alcohol beer consumption 2022-2023
06
45% of UK shoppers prioritize sustainability in food purchases 2023
07
Ready meals consumption up 15% post-pandemic to 2.5kg per person monthly
08
73% of UK consumers snack between meals daily 2023
09
Organic food purchases by 19 million UK consumers annually 2022
10
35% increase in functional food consumption for health benefits 2022
11
UK average sugar intake 63g daily exceeding WHO 50g recommendation
12
56% of consumers prefer local produce in supermarkets 2023
13
Plant-based milk sales up 20% to 15% market share 2023
14
41% of Gen Z avoid meat for environmental reasons 2023
15
Home cooking frequency up 22% since 2020 lockdown
16
68% check nutrition labels before purchase 2023
17
Ethnic cuisine consumption 25% higher among under-35s 2022
18
52% of households buy premium products despite inflation 2023
19
Alcohol-free drink consumption doubled since 2018 to 12% market
20
77% of consumers influenced by health claims on packaging
21
Fish consumption per capita 12.3kg annually down from 15kg in 2000
22
30% rise in at-home coffee consumption post-COVID 2023
23
64% prefer own-label products for value 2023
24
Dairy-free cheese sales up 45% in 2022
Interpretation
Consumer Trends And Consumption Interpretation
UK consumption patterns are clearly shifting as 62% of consumers buy plant based alternatives weekly and nearly all momentum is toward lighter and lower impact choices, from 45% prioritizing sustainability and a 28% rise in low or no alcohol beer to meat down to 75.5kg per person annually.
02 · Category
Employment And Labor25 stats
01
Food and drink sector supports 3.9 million jobs contributing 7.8% to UK employment
02
Food and drink manufacturing employs 476,000 people directly in the UK in 2022
03
29% of UK manufacturing workforce is in food and drink sector
04
Average salary in UK food manufacturing is £31,200 annually in 2022
05
62,000 vacancies in UK hospitality and foodservice in 2023
06
40% of food and drink manufacturers reported skills shortages in 2023
07
Women make up 41% of the UK food manufacturing workforce
08
BAME employees represent 14% in UK food manufacturing
09
25% of food manufacturing roles filled by EU nationals post-Brexit adjusted
10
Apprenticeships in food and drink manufacturing reached 5,200 starts in 2021/22
11
Turnover per employee in UK food manufacturing £242,000 in 2022
12
15% increase in food manufacturing employment since 2010
13
UK hospitality sector employs 3.5 million people, 10% of workforce
14
70,000 job losses in UK foodservice due to COVID-19 by 2021
15
48% of food manufacturers investing in training programs in 2023
16
Youth employment (16-24) in food manufacturing 8.5% of workforce
17
Disability employment rate in food sector 12% above national average
18
Part-time workers 28% of food manufacturing staff
19
Zero-hour contracts in hospitality foodservice 8% of staff in 2022
20
35% of food manufacturers report labor shortages as top challenge 2023
21
Average tenure in food manufacturing 8.2 years
22
22,000 new jobs created in food manufacturing 2021-2022
23
Female managers in food sector 32% in 2022
24
Overtime worked by 25% of food production workers weekly
25
Training spend per employee £850 annually in food manufacturing
Interpretation
Employment And Labor Interpretation
The UK food and drink sector supports 3.9 million jobs but employment is being strained by a skills gap, with 40% of manufacturers reporting shortages and 62,000 vacancies in hospitality and foodservice in 2023.
03 · Category
Market Size And Economic Contribution29 stats
01
The UK food and drink manufacturing sector contributed £38.2 billion to Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2022
02
Total turnover of the UK food and drink industry reached £133.6 billion in 2022
03
Food and drink manufacturing accounts for 18% of total UK manufacturing GVA
04
The grocery market value in the UK was £215.1 billion for the 52 weeks ending 25 June 2023
05
Online grocery sales accounted for 11.3% of total grocery market share in the UK in 2023
06
The UK soft drinks market was valued at £13.8 billion in 2022
07
UK confectionery market revenue stood at £5.2 billion in 2022
08
The UK dairy market generated £11.4 billion in revenue in 2022
09
Packaged food market in the UK reached £90.5 billion in 2022
10
UK meat market revenue was £18.7 billion in 2022
11
Bakery products market in the UK valued at £6.8 billion in 2022
12
UK foodservice market size was £22.4 billion in 2022 pre-COVID recovery levels
13
The premium grocery segment grew by 9.2% in the UK in 2023
14
UK ambient food market revenue hit £15.3 billion in 2022
15
Chilled food market in the UK was £25.1 billion in 2022
16
Frozen food sector revenue reached £10.2 billion in the UK in 2022
17
UK snack food market valued at £4.9 billion in 2022
18
The plant-based food market in the UK grew to £1.1 billion in 2022
19
UK ready meals market was worth £3.4 billion in 2022
20
Organic food sales in the UK reached £3.2 billion in 2022
21
UK craft beer market size estimated at £1.5 billion in 2022
22
Non-alcoholic drinks market in UK valued at £2.8 billion in 2022
23
UK pet food market revenue was £3.6 billion in 2022
24
Functional food market in UK reached £1.2 billion in 2022
25
UK sauces and condiments market £2.9 billion in 2022
26
Breakfast cereals market in UK £1.8 billion revenue 2022
27
UK edible oils market valued at £1.4 billion in 2022
28
Infant food market in UK £0.9 billion in 2022
29
UK food manufacturing output index rose 2.1% in 2022
Interpretation
Market Size And Economic Contribution Interpretation
In 2022, the UK food and drink sector generated £38.2 billion in GVA and £133.6 billion in turnover, underscoring its major economic footprint as food and drink manufacturing alone contributed 18% of total UK manufacturing GVA.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production And Manufacturing25 stats
01
UK produces 60% of food consumed domestically by volume 2022
02
Food manufacturing output increased 1.8% in Q4 2022
03
7,500 food and drink manufacturing businesses in UK 2022
04
90% of UK bread produced domestically daily 12 million loaves
05
UK milk production 14.8 billion litres annually 2022
06
Pigmeat production 920,000 tonnes in UK 2022
07
Poultry meat output 2.1 million tonnes 2022 record high
08
Beef and veal production 870,000 tonnes in 2022
09
UK wheat production 13.9 million tonnes 2022 harvest
10
4,200 dairy processing plants in UK processing 100% domestic milk
11
Beer production 4.2 billion litres annually pre-2022 declines
12
98% of UK pasta made domestically 2022
13
Chocolate manufacturing output £4.5 billion turnover 2022
14
75% of UK soft drinks produced locally 15 billion litres annually
15
Bakery sector produces 11 billion loaves/packs annually
16
UK potato production 5.6 million tonnes 2022
17
85% self-sufficiency in cereals production 2022
18
70% of fruit juice produced from UK concentrate
19
3,000 new food products launched annually by manufacturers
20
Energy use in food manufacturing 25 TWh annually 2022
21
Water usage 300 million cubic metres in food processing 2022
22
50% of manufacturers adopted automation lines by 2023
23
R&D spend £1.1 billion in food and drink sector 2022
24
Waste generation 4.5 million tonnes food manufacturing 2022
25
65% of production energy from renewables target by 2030 progress 20% 2022
Interpretation
Production And Manufacturing Interpretation
In the UK production and manufacturing sector, domestic output is strong with the country producing 60% of the food it consumes by volume in 2022 while food manufacturing expanded 1.8% in Q4 2022 across 7,500 businesses.
05 · Category
Trade Exports Imports25 stats
01
UK food and drink exports reached £23.2 billion in 2022
02
Food and drink exports grew 8.4% year-on-year to £23 billion in 2022
03
EU remains top destination for 58% of UK food and drink exports
04
US is the largest non-EU market for UK food exports at £1.1 billion in 2022
05
China imports £700 million of UK food and drink annually 2022
06
UK food imports totaled £48.6 billion in 2022
07
Fruit and vegetables make up 25% of UK food imports value £12.1 billion 2022
08
Meat imports to UK £7.8 billion in 2022 mainly from EU
09
Cheese imports £1.2 billion annually, 70% from EU in 2022
10
UK exported £4.9 billion in beverages in 2022 led by Scotch whisky
11
Scotch whisky exports £5.1 billion representing 22% of total food drink exports 2022
12
Dairy exports from UK £1.4 billion in 2022 to 140 countries
13
Pork exports £0.6 billion down due to African Swine Fever impacts 2022
14
Fish and seafood exports £0.9 billion mainly to EU France Netherlands 2022
15
UK imports 90% of its coffee and 50% of tea consumed domestically 2022
16
Chocolate exports £0.8 billion to 130 countries in 2022
17
Post-Brexit non-tariff barriers affect 40% of EU exports volume
18
UK food trade deficit widened to £25.4 billion in 2022
19
Ambient grocery exports grew 12% to £2.1 billion in 2022
20
Chilled and fresh exports £6.3 billion facing logistics challenges 2022
21
75% of UK food exporters report increased costs post-Ukraine war 2023
22
India imports £150 million UK food drink mainly biscuits confectionery 2022
23
UAE top Middle East market £400 million UK food imports 2022
24
Japan post-trade deal imports £250 million UK products 2022
25
52% of businesses export to single market EU dependent
Interpretation
Trade Exports Imports Interpretation
In the Trade Exports Imports picture, UK food and drink exports rose 8.4% year on year to £23.2 billion in 2022, while imports still far outpaced them at £48.6 billion, showing the sector’s reliance on strong overseas demand alongside a much bigger import footprint.
report visual · Breakdown
UK Food & Drink: What people buy most (consumer habits)
A mix of everyday purchasing habits—higher rates of snacking and label-checking—alongside fast-growing plant-based and low/no-alcohol categories.
15%
Ready meals consumption up 15% post-pandemic to 2.5kg per person monthly
85%
85% self-sufficiency in cereals production 2022
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Uk Food And Drink Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uk-food-and-drink-industry-statistics
MLA
Alexander Schmidt. "Uk Food And Drink Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/uk-food-and-drink-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Uk Food And Drink Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uk-food-and-drink-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
15 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level