Will our food industry ever be the same?

Due to the current global pandemic, it’s safe to say that our food industry has been completely knocked for six. There is a lot of uncertainty about what the future holds, and if the industry as we once knew it will ever be the same again.

With the out of home sector being at the very bottom of the agenda when it comes to the government’s undefined lockdown exit plans and almost a third of UK adults planning on eating out less frequently when able to do so (despite this reportedly being the second most missed activity- after visiting relatives), I think it’s safe to say that things aren’t going to be returning to normal anytime soon.

Every company within the food industry, from foodservice to FMCG/Retail businesses have had to adapt their usual way of life; whether that be by reducing business costs, changing their route to market, adapting their business offering/products, or implementing new strategies; short or long term.

As someone with a pretty even-handed view across the industry, I’d say I’ve seen a fairly proactive response across the board since the crisis began. Although there was a slight ‘freeze' for some at first, I’d say that overall, most businesses have been quick to adjust, maintain an all-important presence and come together by providing and contributing support via any means possible.

I think that these are the businesses that will inevitably ‘bounce back’ the fastest.

Although there is no certainty as to what the future holds, there are several fairly popular predictions out there. The most common being that social distancing will go on for longer than we had originally thought, there will be an increase in demand for organic, vegan, vegetarian and other healthy foods and an increase in the sale of ingredients, pantry essentials and meal kits due to more home cooking.

The public are becoming increasingly focused on health and wellness and the Coronavirus Impact Report reveals that consumers are more likely to want to know the source of their food, making food from community-supported agriculture and farms more desirable.

I guess we can’t be sure for certain what the future holds, but one thing we can be certain of is the importance of being able to adapt- to whatever else will come our way.