Deloitte, in collaboration with FMI-The Food Industry Association, surveyed 150 US-based executives in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) good industry in 2021 to find out what they felt the state of the food industry workforce was. The study, called The Future of Work (FoW), examined executives' attitudes toward the changing workforce of the food and beverage industry.
The research uncovered the prominence diversity plays in developing the current workforce, with 68% of respondents indicating that diversity and inclusion training is what their organizations were currently engaging in to prepare for future workforce challenges. 11% indicated their companies were advocating for public policies that would support the future of workforce challenges. The study also found that 86% of senior leaders at CPG companies felt one of their highest priorities was to make significant progress on their DEI goals.
One area for improvement, the survey noted, involved diversity and inclusion at the leadership level, with 65% of leaders indicating their company's leadership is not representative of the greater population.
The study concluded that to differentiate their brands to prospective employees and customers, industry leaders will not only need to look internally at their DEI efforts, but also "broaden their efforts" externally by way of taking a better look at society as a large.
