Food and drink manufacturers key priorities for H2 2025

The UK food manufacturing industry has been navigating a landscape shaped by economic pressures, evolving consumer demands, and regulatory shifts in the first half of 2025. Despite these challenges, the sector remains resilient, focusing on innovation, efficiency, and sustainability to drive growth.

Economic significance of food and drink manufacturing

According to the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) “Powering Communities” report, the food and drink manufacturing sector contributes £37.3 billion to the UK economy, accounting for 23.4% of total manufacturing turnover. Here in the East Midlands, where Bennett Engineering is located, food and drink manufacturing comes in as the fifth sector within the manufacturing industry (accounting for 20.6%). At the end of last year, FDF revealed that there is an untapped £14bn productivity opportunity that could further propel food manufacturers forward.

Strategic Priorities for 2025 for food and drink manufacturers

In a recent article (here: https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2025/01/14/priorities-for-uk-manufacturing-businesses-2025/) the key priorities for the UK’s food and drink manufacturing sector were outlined as follows:

Digital transformation

Manufacturers are increasingly leveraging technology to enhance productivity and efficiency. A survey by Made UK revealed that 68% of manufacturers plan to tackle rising costs by boosting productivity, with 29% focusing on technology, cloud, and artificial intelligence.

In the food and beverage sector, 65% of companies said they are prioritising rapid data analysis for performance and efficiency. Investments in software to measure equipment effectiveness and enterprise asset management are also on the rise.

Responding to consumer preferences

Changing consumer tastes are a significant concern, with 33% of food and beverage companies citing it as a major challenge due to the desire for less ‘processed’ ingredients. This has led to a focus on product innovation and expanding portfolios to meet diverse demands.

Navigating regulatory changes

Regulatory pressures have intensified, with 30% of companies noting significant challenges, a 16% increase from the previous year. The upcoming National Food Strategy aims to address issues like obesity, environmental impact, and food security, influencing industry operations.

Enhancing sustainability

Sustainability remains a core focus, with companies striving to reduce environmental impact and meet consumer expectations for eco-friendly practices. The government’s “Invest 2035” strategy supports this by promoting investment in high-growth, sustainable sectors.

Health and safety

As with every manufacturing site the health and safety embedded must be according to legislation however health and transparency are driving major industry changes, with consumers demanding cleaner ingredients and better traceability.

The UK food manufacturing industry is proactively addressing the challenges of 2025 through technological innovation, responsiveness to consumer trends, regulatory compliance, and sustainable practices.

Boosting the ingredients with outsourced engineering expertise

In the highly competitive and compliance driven world of food and drink manufacturing here in the UK, efficiency, safety, and adaptability are non-negotiable. One of the most effective ways manufacturers are rising to this challenge is by partnering with outsourced engineering specialists, particularly for the design and delivery of bespoke machinery, maintenance-friendly platforms, and custom designed and made items like lifting jigs.

Bespoke machinery designed for your production line

Standard machinery available from OEMs often can’t match the unique needs of each food and beverage production environment. Whether it’s space constraints, hygiene requirements, or complex process stages, Bennett Engineering can provide custom-designed machinery that fits like a glove.

Bespoke solutions can include:

Automated packaging systems tailored to specific product dimensions
Custom conveyor systems to optimise material flow
Precision filling or weighing equipment for niche product ranges
Hygienic design principles built in from the start (e.g. stainless-steel frames, easy-clean surfaces)

This level of customisation ensures that new machinery doesn’t just fit the space but that it fits the process, enhancing productivity while meeting BRCGS, HACCP, and FSA compliance.

Supporting maintenance teams with bespoke solutions

Maintenance downtime is one of the biggest cost drivers in food manufacturing. To combat this, Bennett Engineering can design, manufacture and install safe, purpose-built access platforms and gantries to streamline repairs, inspections, and changeovers.

These platforms are often tailored to:

Provide safe, ergonomic access to high or awkward equipment
Reduce manual handling risks for maintenance staff
Comply fully with PUWER and Working at Height regulations
Incorporate features like guardrails, anti-slip surfaces, and lift-out sections for flexibility
Ensure they meet your site requirements (such as step slope for cleaning purposes)

Having the right platform in place not only protects your workforce, it reduces the time needed to carry out essential maintenance, helping to keep lines running smoothly.

Bespoke equipment designed to work safer and smarter

Heavy components such as mixers, motors, or forming parts can be a major hazard during maintenance or changeover. That’s where custom lifting jigs come in. Designed to match the exact part and operation, these engineered solutions take the strain off teams while increasing accuracy and safety.

Bespoke lifting jigs can:

Prevent injury from manual handling
Speed up changeovers or repairs
Reduce equipment damage during removal or installation
Ensure repeatable, safe lifting every time

Jigs can be integrated into the design or retrofit of new and existing equipment alike.

Why more Manufacturers are outsourcing engineering

Working with external engineering partners, like Bennett Engineering, offers a strategic advantage by:

Freeing up internal resources to focus on production or maintenance or R&D
Accelerating innovation through access to experience from cross sector experts
Delivering compliance ready solutions without compromising speed or quality
Ensuring projects are done right the first time, thanks to specialist expertise

In short, outsourced engineering isn’t just about solving problems, it’s about building safer, smarter, and more efficient manufacturing environments, that are tailor made for today’s operational pressures.

Where Bennett Engineering have provided support

Over the last decade, Bennett Engineering have supplied our mechanical expertise to a range of projects within the food and drink sector including:

The design of R&D machinery for processing new products
Bespoke platform design, manufacture and installation for maintenance teams to access machinery across a range of large-scale food and drink manufacturers

We have worked with some of the UK’s largest snack and beverage manufacturers here in the Midlands. Our team understands the pressures faced, the safety required and the high quality of equipment and machinery that is essential for what you undertake on a daily basis.