Food and drink
The food and drink industry is a major contributor to the Scottish economy. It produces a wide range of products and exports them around the world.
What impact could you make?
Biotechnology's the interface between biology, the biomedical sciences, chemistry, engineering and physics where they all come together. So you might have something that's traditionally a biological or chemical process and it's often applied to things that you can use for humans, so: medicines, food, etc.Kirsty BlackBiotechnologist, Marine Biopolymers
Food and drink at a glance
There are many ways to build a career in the food and drink industry, as well as lots of cool jobs you can do. No matter what your skills or interests are – you're likely to find a job that suits you.
Employment
In 2023, there were 48,800 people working in the food and drink industry in Scotland.
Job availability
Between 2023 and 2026, it's expected there will be 1,600 people needed to fill job openings in Scotland.
Job diversity
As of October 2023, there are 696 Modern Apprentices training within food and drink in Scotland.
Build a tasty career in the world of food and drink
We’ve pulled out some of the most popular food and drink job profiles for you to explore.
Agricultural consultant
Farm manager
Production manager (manufacturing)
Quality control technician
Head brewer
Butcher
Laboratory technician
Electrical engineer
Things you may not know about food and drink
Sales of Scottish brands in the United Kingdom have risen by more than 40% over the last 10 years and the industry is worth a whopping £15 billion!
Source: Scotland Food and Drink
After whisky, seafood is Scotland's second largest export. It's sold to more than 100 countries.
Scotland's food and drink products reached a record export value of £8 billion in 2022.
Source: Scotland Food and Drink
What subjects you could take in school
We've pulled together some examples of subjects and Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs) that could be useful for getting into a food and drink career.
English
business
environmental science
Food and Drink Technologies FA
geography
science
Leaders in food and drink
Discover some of the organisations within food and drink and how they’re making an impact on the industry.
Scotland Food and Drink
Scotland Food and drink nurtures, supports and champions the people and products of Scotland’s food and drink industry.
Visit Scotland Food and Drink
Food and Drink Federation Scotland
Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland represents the largest manufacturing sector in the country. It also promotes the diverse range of careers across the industry.
Visit Food and Drink Federation Scotland
Lantra
Lantra develops training and qualifications in areas such as forestry, agriculture, fishing and landscape – plus more.
Visit Lantra