eating and drinking-out occasions in the UK, with Lumina Intelligence forecasting growth of around 3.4 % in 2026. The sector is expected to reach £ 24.9 billion in 2026, outpacing the wider eating-out market. Average spend per visit has also risen to £ 12.98, driven in part by premium add-ons and bundled meal deals.
For producers, however, this growth brings additional pressure. Food-togo is characterised by high volumes, product variety, short shelf lives and the need for rapid movement from production through to retail – not easy things to achieve if you’ re still relying on manual labour rather than automation.
Flexibility is becoming essential
One of the biggest challenges
facing food-to-go manufacturers is that retailers increasingly want exactly what they need, when they need it. Rather than producing huge quantities for storage and distribution through traditional networks, manufacturers may need to supply smaller quantities more frequently, often delivering directly to individual stores. With retailers under pressure to minimise waste and inventory, there is little appetite for products sitting in warehouses.
Manufacturers therefore need to be able to respond quickly to changing orders, produce a wide range of products and get those products packed and dispatched with minimal delay. But at the same time, they face continual pressure on margins. This is where automation can help.
Start with the quick wins
There is a temptation for food manufacturers to think about automation as an all-or-nothing investment. A business may believe it needs a fully automated production and packaging line, only to receive a multi-million-pound quotation that makes the project difficult to justify. The result, of course, is that nothing changes.
A more practical approach is to identify the areas where automation can deliver an immediate, measurable benefit. For many foodto-go manufacturers, palletising is an obvious example. With pallets often being made up of random products spanning a wide variety of shapes, sizes and dimensions, today’ s smart automated solutions can
Packing and palletising are areas where automation can deliver immediate efficiency gains without requiring a complete overhaul of the production line.
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