CITY FOOD AND DRINK LECTURE CHALLENGES THE FUTURE LEADERS OF THE FOOD AND DRINK INDUSTRY

City Food and Drink Lecture challenges future leaders of food and drink industry to make the next 25 years healthier than the last. In an Apprentice style event at this year’s Future Generation Forum City Food and Drink Lecture, we asked students from across the UK to present how they could make an impact on how we eat in the future.

Led by headline partner to the event, New England Seafood International (NESI), attendees were given a mixture of industry presentations, case studies, access to an expert panel before embarking on a workshop to put forward solutions on how to make an impact on the 2026 lecture theme: “Can the food and drink industry make the next 25 years healthier than the last?”

The Future Generation Forum is part of the City Food and Drink Lecture, an event organised by eight historic City Livery Companies with deep roots in the food sector.  On the day of the lecture, the FGF session takes place, where young people engage with the same themes as the lecture, share their perspectives, and discuss the topics explored by the panel. 

Close to 70 students from across the UK took part in this challenge, coming from leading further education institutions renowned for their work in food and agriculture including Harpers Adams, Oxford University, Cambridge University and Queen’s University. The Future Generation Forum (FGF) is a key part of the City Food and Drink Lecture, designed to give students and lecturers from top agri-food universities the chance to learn from inspirational industry leaders, discussing the pathways to a meaningful career within the food sector.

As part of the discussion, CEO of NESI Dan Aherne shone a light on seafood’s role in the UK’s food security and asked a timely question: why isn’t fish already seen as the ultimate protein? He passionately highlighted how seafood stands apart as a naturally nutrient-dense, minimally processed option against the backdrop of ultra-processed foods, portion control from weight management drugs and consumer demand for protein and other vitamins that support better health.

With just 7% of seafood consumption currently coming from under-34s, Dan went on to suggest the category doesn’t have a relevance problem, but a connection problem which was the challenge posed to the students in the competitive workshop. The room was split into 8 groups made up of students, lecturers and industry players who worked together to then present back their pitch on how they would improve the reputation of seafood amongst consumers to a judging panel made up of Simon Smith, Chair of UK Seafood Federation, Professor Jude Capper FGF organiser and Cassie Leisk, Planet and People Group Director New England Seafood.

The judges awarded Kerry Roberts, who presented a marketing campaign named IheartFish, which focuses on consumer education of the health benefits of seafood, practical recipes and building a community online via social media. Kerry will take part in an immersive hands-on culinary experience at Billingsgate Market in the coming months, delivered by one of the UK’s leading seafood experts, CJ Jackson. Runners-up Maha Khana, University of Reading and Poppie Helliwell, University of Leeds, also received a copy of CJ Jackson’s latest book, Great British Seafood Revival.

Following the workshop, the students heard from high profile industry leaders including: the key note speaker, Professor Susan Jebb OBE, Professor of Diet and Population Health at the University of Oxford, Ash Amirahmadi OBE, CEO Sofina Foods, Christine Tacon, Director Co-op Group, previously Chair Red Tractor, Groceries Code Adjudicator and CEO Co-op’s farming business, Ian Wright CBE, a highly respected leader in the UK food and drink industry with more than four decades of experience across business, policy and communications and Charlotte Smith, presenter of BBC One’s Countryfile and BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today,  in an open panel session where attendees could garner further advice into what the industry needs in the years ahead. 

Professor Jude Capper, ABP Chair of Sustainable Beef and Sheep Production at Harper Adams University and 2026 FGF organiser says: 

“This year’s students were given such valuable first-hand experience and advice from these incredible industry leaders that I’m 100% sure that we will see many of the attendees taking up the challenge to play a pivotal part in making a difference to what is on our plates in the future.”

Allan Wilkinson, Chairman of the City Food & Drink Lecture, says:

“The Future Generation Forum has always worked to inspire confidence for aspiring leaders in the food industry and tackle head-on the complexities of all of the industry issues at large. This year was no exception. We were delighted to see such engagement and brilliant ideas in the room. Our young attendees were certainly not shy in bringing forward their views and suggestions.”

Fiona Patrick, Event Director, City Food and Drink Lecture added:

“It is a pleasure to see such a strong representation of the future generation at both the afternoon session and the evening lecture, bringing fresh insight and energy to the discussion. We encourage them to make the most of the opportunity to network with their peers and to ask searching questions, and they certainly rise to the challenge”

Dan Aherne, CEO of New England Seafood, said:

“We wanted to both engage and inspire our audience as to the great many career possibilities and opportunities that exist in our industry. I hope the career journeys our team members shared have helped fuel their passion to pursue a career in food, and that their eyes were opened as to the need and opportunities to continue to raise the bar in terms of what we do as an industry and how we better engage and communicate with our consumers. This is key to trust, and trust is key to positive change and building a healthier nation around a sustainable and healthy food system.”

Image: City Food and Drink Lecture