The UK food industry links household budgets to the workforce, farms, and factories that keep shelves stocked. It covers how people buy food, from weekly grocery spend to the shift online, and how production outputs—like milk and wheat—move with demand. Across the page, you’ll also see market value, employment and wages, plus trade patterns shaped by exports and imports, including the EU.
Key Takeaways
- UK household consumption of food and non-alcoholic drinks averaged £4,128 per person in 2022
- 58% of UK adults consumed at least one portion of fruit or veg daily in 2022
- Average UK household spent £78 per week on groceries in 2023
- UK food manufacturing employed 468,000 people in 2022
- Food and drink sector total employment 3.9 million jobs in 2022
- 7% of total UK employment in food supply chain in 2021
- In 2022, the UK food and drink sector contributed £133.7 billion to the UK economy in Gross Value Added (GVA)
- The food manufacturing sector alone accounted for 16% of total UK manufacturing GVA in 2021, equivalent to £28.4 billion
- UK food and drink exports reached £23.2 billion in 2022, a 12% increase from 2021
- UK food manufacturing productivity grew by 1.2% in 2022 compared to 2021
- Annual UK wheat production reached 13.9 million tonnes in 2022/23 marketing year
- UK milk production totalled 14.1 billion litres in 2022, down 1.5% from 2021
- UK food and drink exports totalled £23.2 billion in 2022, up 11.8% YoY
- Food imports to UK valued at £59.5 billion in 2022
- EU remains top trading partner with 62% of UK food imports in 2022
UK food spending rose with exports up, while manufacturing and jobs remained crucial to the economy.
Related reading
01 · Category
Consumption And Retail25 stats
01
UK household consumption of food and non-alcoholic drinks averaged £4,128 per person in 2022
02
58% of UK adults consumed at least one portion of fruit or veg daily in 2022
03
Average UK household spent £78 per week on groceries in 2023
04
Online grocery sales share reached 12.5% of total in 2023
05
UK per capita meat consumption 79.5 kg in 2022
06
Dairy consumption per person 245 litres milk equivalent in 2022
07
25% increase in plant-based milk consumption since 2018, reaching 15% market share in 2022
08
UK bread consumption 32 kg per person annually in 2022
09
Soft drinks consumption 145 litres per capita in 2022
10
Chocolate confectionery consumption 8.2 kg per person in 2022
11
Ready meals purchased by 68% of UK households weekly in 2023
12
Organic food sales per capita £50 in 2022
13
Snacking occasions increased 10% to 2.5 per day per person in 2022
14
Frozen food consumption up 8% to 33 kg per person in 2022
15
Takeaway and delivery meals consumed 1.8 times per week on average in 2023
16
UK alcohol consumption 9.7 litres pure alcohol per adult in 2022
17
42% of UK shoppers buy premium or speciality foods weekly in 2023
18
Meal kit subscriptions held by 4% of households in 2023
19
Health-focused food purchases rose 15% in 2022
20
UK egg consumption 190 eggs per person annually in 2022
21
Fish and seafood consumption 12.3 kg per capita in 2022
22
Sugar consumption averaged 40g per day per adult in 2022
23
62% of consumers check nutrition labels regularly in 2023
24
Convenience store grocery sales £52 billion in 2022
25
Discount grocers market share 20.1% in 2023
Interpretation
Consumption And Retail Interpretation
For the Consumption and Retail side of the UK food industry, households spent £78 per week on groceries in 2023 while online grocery sales climbed to 12.5% of the total, alongside diet trends like 58% of adults eating fruit or vegetables daily in 2022.
02 · Category
Employment And Labour26 stats
01
UK food manufacturing employed 468,000 people in 2022
02
Food and drink sector total employment 3.9 million jobs in 2022
03
7% of total UK employment in food supply chain in 2021
04
Average wage in UK food manufacturing £28,500 per year in 2022
05
25% of food manufacturing workforce aged over 50 in 2023
06
Women comprise 42% of UK food manufacturing employees in 2022
07
15,000 vacancies in UK hospitality food sector in Q1 2023
08
Apprenticeships in food manufacturing totalled 12,000 starts in 2022/23
09
Labour turnover rate in food processing 18% in 2022
10
32% of food sector firms reported skills shortages in 2023
11
Migrant workers 20% of UK meat processing workforce in 2022
12
Food retail employment 2.1 million people in 2022
13
Average hours worked in food manufacturing 39.2 per week in 2022
14
8% growth in food engineering roles demand 2022-2023
15
UK food scientists and technologists numbered 25,000 in 2022
16
Zero-hour contracts 5% in hospitality food service in 2023
17
Training investment in food sector £1.2 billion annually in 2022
18
Youth employment in food manufacturing 8% of workforce in 2022
19
Diversity index in food sector improved to 0.65 in 2023
20
45,000 new jobs created in food supply chain post-COVID by 2022
21
Union membership 18% in UK food manufacturing in 2022
22
Remote work adoption 12% in food admin roles 2023
23
Health and safety incidents 2.1 per 100 workers in food processing 2022
24
Female managers 28% in food manufacturing 2023
25
Gig economy workers 150,000 in food delivery 2023
26
Upskilling programmes reached 200,000 workers in 2022
Interpretation
Employment And Labour Interpretation
In 2022, the UK food and drink sector supported 3.9 million jobs and food manufacturing paid an average of £28,500, but the workforce is aging with 25% over 50 in 2023 and women making up 42% of employees, underscoring employment and labour pressures as the sector needs to attract and retain talent.
03 · Category
Market Size And Economic Impact30 stats
01
In 2022, the UK food and drink sector contributed £133.7 billion to the UK economy in Gross Value Added (GVA)
02
The food manufacturing sector alone accounted for 16% of total UK manufacturing GVA in 2021, equivalent to £28.4 billion
03
UK food and drink exports reached £23.2 billion in 2022, a 12% increase from 2021
04
The retail value of the UK grocery market was £228 billion in the 52 weeks ending 25 June 2023
05
Food and drink manufacturing turnover stood at £108 billion in 2022, supporting 468,000 jobs
06
The UK hospitality sector, part of food industry, generated £93 billion in sales in 2022
07
Packaged food market in UK valued at £65.2 billion in 2023, growing at 4.2% CAGR from 2018-2023
08
UK soft drinks market revenue reached £13.8 billion in 2022
09
The UK bakery products market size was £10.9 billion in 2022
10
Dairy products sector turnover in UK was £14.2 billion in 2021
11
UK meat and poultry processing industry generated £15.6 billion in 2022
12
Fruit and vegetable processing market valued at £5.3 billion in 2022
13
UK confectionery market size stood at £5.1 billion in 2023
14
Alcoholic beverages sector contributed £14.5 billion to UK GVA in 2022
15
UK ready meals market revenue was £3.9 billion in 2022
16
Food service market in UK valued at £22.4 billion in 2023
17
UK organic food market grew to £3.1 billion in 2022, up 5% from previous year
18
Plant-based food market in UK reached £1.1 billion in sales in 2022
19
UK snacking market valued at £12.7 billion in 2023
20
Frozen food sector turnover £8.2 billion in 2022
21
UK sauces and condiments market size £2.8 billion in 2022
22
Health and wellness food market in UK £18.5 billion in 2023
23
UK pet food market, linked to food industry supply, £3.2 billion in 2022
24
Functional food and drinks market £4.1 billion in 2022
25
UK meal kit delivery market revenue £1.2 billion in 2023
26
Artisan food and drink sector contributed £3.9 billion in 2022
27
UK food tech investment reached £1.5 billion in 2022
28
Grocery e-commerce sales hit £17.8 billion in 2022
29
UK food processing equipment market valued at £2.4 billion in 2023
30
Overall UK agrifood GVA was £45.2 billion in 2021
Interpretation
Market Size And Economic Impact Interpretation
In 2022 the UK food and drink sector’s £133.7 billion Gross Value Added and the hospitality sector’s £93 billion sales show the industry’s major economic weight, reinforced by strong growth in exports to £23.2 billion, up 12% from 2021.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production Statistics28 stats
01
UK food manufacturing productivity grew by 1.2% in 2022 compared to 2021
02
Annual UK wheat production reached 13.9 million tonnes in 2022/23 marketing year
03
UK milk production totalled 14.1 billion litres in 2022, down 1.5% from 2021
04
Pigmeat production in UK was 920,000 tonnes in 2022
05
UK poultry meat production hit 2.1 million tonnes in 2022, up 2%
06
Beef and veal production stood at 895,000 tonnes in 2022
07
UK sheep meat production was 340,000 tonnes in 2022
08
Total UK fresh vegetable production 3.7 million tonnes in 2022
09
UK apple production reached 246,000 tonnes in 2022/23
10
Cheese production in UK totalled 731,000 tonnes in 2022
11
UK butter production was 522,000 tonnes in 2022
12
Bakery output in UK produced 11 billion loaves in 2022
13
UK beer production volume 4.3 billion litres in 2022
14
Soft drinks production in UK 14.5 billion litres in 2022
15
Confectionery production output 2.1 million tonnes in 2022
16
UK ready-to-eat food production grew 3.5% to £4.2 billion value in 2022
17
Fish processing production 200,000 tonnes in UK 2022
18
Organic food production area in UK 3.2 million hectares in 2022
19
Plant-based dairy alternatives production up 15% to 1.2 billion litres in 2022
20
UK egg production 10.2 billion eggs in 2022
21
Potato production in UK 5.4 million tonnes in 2022
22
Rape seed oil production 1.1 million tonnes in 2022/23
23
UK sugar beet production 8.2 million tonnes in 2022/23
24
Wine production in England 2.7 million bottles in 2022 vintage
25
Frozen food production volume 2.8 million tonnes in 2022
26
Sauces and seasonings production £3.1 billion value in 2022
27
UK ice cream production 0.45 million tonnes in 2022
28
Cereal processing output 4.5 million tonnes in 2022
Interpretation
Production Statistics Interpretation
In the UK production statistics, output is mostly rising in sectors like poultry up 2% to 2.1 million tonnes in 2022 and manufacturing productivity up 1.2% in 2022, but milk production fell 1.5% to 14.1 billion litres, showing a mixed but measurable shift across key food inputs.
05 · Category
Sustainability And Trade19 stats
01
UK food and drink exports totalled £23.2 billion in 2022, up 11.8% YoY
02
Food imports to UK valued at £59.5 billion in 2022
03
EU remains top trading partner with 62% of UK food imports in 2022
04
UK agri-food trade deficit £14.3 billion in 2022
05
Whisky exports from UK £5.4 billion in 2022
06
Cheese exports reached £781 million in 2022
07
Meat exports totalled £4.8 billion in 2022
08
45% of UK food waste recycled or composted in 2022
09
Food sector carbon footprint 20% of UK total emissions in 2021
10
75% of UK farms adopted sustainable practices by 2023
11
Plastic packaging in food reduced by 12% since 2018 to 2.1 million tonnes in 2022
12
Water usage in UK food manufacturing 1.2 billion litres per day in 2022
13
30% reduction target in food waste by 2030, current progress 18% from baseline
14
Organic land area 4% of total UK farmland in 2022
15
Renewable energy use in food factories 25% of total in 2023
16
Fairtrade certified food sales £1.8 billion in UK 2022
17
92% of UK potatoes sustainably sourced in 2022
18
Food miles for UK imports averaged 1,500 km in 2022
19
Biodiversity net gain achieved on 15% of food production land by 2023
Interpretation
Sustainability And Trade Interpretation
In 2022 the UK’s agri food trade deficit widened to £14.3 billion even as exports rose to £23.2 billion, underscoring how sustainability and trade pressures are tightly linked in the country’s growing reliance on imports worth £59.5 billion, with the EU supplying 62% of them.
Reference
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APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Uk Food Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uk-food-industry-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Uk Food Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/uk-food-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Uk Food Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uk-food-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level