Food and drink

The food and drink industry is a major contributor to the Scottish economy, producing a wide range of products and exports around the world.

The impact you could make

  • Contribute to the food production and help feed the nation. 
  • Be part of new product development as trends in food and drink are growing and changing. 
  • Develop more innovative and automated technologies to meet the future challenges of food security and climate change.

The opportunities within food and drink

There are many ways you can get a career in the food and drink industry, as well as many different jobs in the industry. No matter what your skills or interests are – you're likely to find a job that suits you.

Employment

There are 85,500 people currently working in the food and drink industry in Scotland.

Job availability

From 2022 to 2025, an estimated 12,000 people will be required to fill job openings in the sector.

Job diversity

There are 1,118 Modern Apprentices in Scotland training in the food and drink industries.

I developed my love of cooking when my home economics teacher told me that I should enter the Future Chef competition. 

My favourite job in the kitchen is working with fish, I enjoy filleting and portioning all the different species and everything and they're coming straight from local waters which makes it even more special. 

Finn

Junior Chef, Skibo Castle

Explore food and drink jobs

We’ve pulled out some of the popular food and drink jobs for you to explore. 

Some things you may not know about food and drink

Food & drink

Sales of Scottish brands in the UK have risen over 40% and the industry is worth a whopping £15 billion! 

Food and drink

After whisky, seafood is Scotland's second largest export, sold to over 100 countries. 

Food & drink

Scottish food and drink products are exported to over 100 countries around the world, including iconic brands such as Tunnocks Tea Cakes and Scotch Whisky.

* foodanddrink.scot 

What subjects to take

We’ve pulled together some examples of subjects that could be useful for getting into a career in food and drink. 

  • Biology
  • Geography
  • Business FA
  • Environmental Science
  • English
  • Food and drink FA

For most jobs, you might not need specific subjects. If your school does not provide all of these subjects or you're just unsure — do not worry. There are many more subjects you can explore by using the Option Choices tool or speaking to your careers adviser in your school. 

What routes you can take

There are different options you can choose from after school. We’ve pulled together some of them to help you decide which is best for you.