CALL FOR EVIDENCE & CONTRIBUTIONS
Food Industry Insight Report 2026: AI Deployment Across the UK Food System

The UK Food Council is inviting academics, technology providers, food manufacturers, processors, retailers, logistics operators and supply-chain specialists to contribute evidence, insight and case material to its forthcoming Food Industry Insight Report 2026, focused on the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the UK food industry.

This research builds on UK Food Council analysis indicating that investment in AI-enabled food processing and manufacturing is set to exceed £6 billion over the next four years, driven by mounting pressure to deliver automation, sustainability, food safety compliance and supply-chain resilience at scale.

Why this research matters

Food processing sits at the heart of UK food security. As labour constraints, cost volatility, regulatory scrutiny and climate pressures intensify, the sector is increasingly turning to AI and advanced automation to maintain productivity and resilience.

Our early findings suggest that capital expenditure is being concentrated in five priority areas:

• Quality control and food safety compliance

• Food sorting and grading

• Production line optimisation and packaging automation

• Customer engagement and demand forecasting

• Predictive maintenance and asset efficiency
  
  

AI is no longer an experimental layer; it is becoming core infrastructure for modern food manufacturing.

Supply-side perspectives

As part of the research process, the UK Food Council will conduct structured interviews and technical analysis with leading global technology and engineering providers, including ABB Ltd., NVIDIA, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, IBM Corp., Microsoft Corp., Siemens, and TOMRA.

These contributors will provide insight into how AI is being designed, deployed and scaled across food production environments — and where adoption barriers still exist.

Industry investment signals

Parallel to the technology supply chain, major multinational food companies are accelerating capital investment programmes aligned to AI-driven operations, sustainability targets and resilience planning.

Early indicators show:

• Mars investing over £1.6 billion in capital projects by the end of 2026, including expanded production and R&D capacity in Europe, with a strong emphasis on automation, sustainability and supply-chain robustness.

• Pepsi Co deploying AI across operations to support portfolio expansion in health-focused and reformulated products.

• Nestlé and Unilever integrating AI to improve manufacturing automation, quality assurance and operational efficiency.

• Tyson Foods upgrading meat processing facilities with AI-enabled equipment focused on food safety, yield optimisation and operational consistency.
  

Together, these signals point to a structural shift, not a cyclical one.

Call for academic and industry participation

The UK Food Council is now seeking independent academic insight, practitioner evidence and operational perspectives to strengthen the depth and credibility of the report.

We welcome contributions addressing:

• Measured AI adoption levels by food sector or sub-sector

• Case studies of deployment (successful or challenged)

• Economic, labour and skills implications

• Regulatory, ethical and governance considerations

• The role of AI in long-term UK food sustainability and security
  

Contributions may be anonymised where commercially sensitive.

What the report will deliver

The Food Industry Insight Report 2026will provide:

• A clear benchmark of AI deployment across the UK food industry

• A forward-looking investment outlook to 2030

• Evidence-based guidance for policymakers, operators and investors

• Practical insight into where AI is delivering value — and where it is not
  
  

This report will form part of the UK Food Council’s wider UK Food Industry research programme, supporting informed decision-making across the sector.

Organisations and academics interested in contributing are invited to contact the UK Food Council editorial and research team at research@foodcouncil.uk