The digital imperative - Transforming the food and drink industry with data and AI
17 June 2026 - 17 June 2026Is your business ready to move from surviving to thriving in an era of unprecedented volatility?
The UK food and drink sector — the country’s largest manufacturing industry — is navigating a 'perfect storm' of supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and rising energy costs. To remain competitive and meet Net Zero targets, a fundamental shift is required.
Hosted by the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with EFFP and Zühlke, this event provides a roadmap for digital transformation.
Navigating industry challenges
The conference explores the four pillars of modern industrial pressure:
- Managing volatility and costs
Explore how digital twinning and predictive modelling allow you to 'stress test' operations virtually, identifying energy efficiencies and reducing waste before making physical changes.
- Achieving Net Zero
Sustainability is a regulatory necessity. We will discuss how AI-driven analytics track carbon intensity across the product lifecycle, helping you build a 'carbon-smart' business.
- Supply chain resilience
Meet consumer demand for transparency. We will demonstrate how integrated data ecosystems create a 'golden thread' of information to ensure safety, provenance, and agility.
- AI and automation
AI is a practical tool for immediate application. From computer vision for quality control to machine learning for demand forecasting, AI helps you move from reactive to proactive management.
Why attend?
Connect with specialists implementing these technologies on the factory floor today. Delegates will:
- Hear from industry experts: Insights from AMRC engineers and digital specialists.
- See real-world applications: Evidence of how digital tools solve manufacturing hurdles.
- Network with peers: Share best practice with food and drink leaders from across the UK.
The future belongs to those who harness data to become more resilient and efficient. Join us to secure your place in that future.
Agenda
| Time | Session | Description | Speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9am – 9.30am | Registration | Coffee, pastries, and networking. | — |
| 9.30am – 09.40am | Opening remarks | A brief welcome and an outline of the sector pressures and ambitions shaping today's discussion. Establishes the strategic importance of the event and its focus on collaboration. | Andy Richardson MBE - Chair of Frive, Partner EFFP and Food & Drink Wales Board |
| 9.40am – 11.00am | Keynote speeches - "The digital and data maturity gap in UK food & drink - And how we close it" | Link to the "State of the Nation" panel and setup the rest of the day's content (barriers, soultions, tech showcase, resilience, AI). Frames the truth of where the sector stands and what realistic progess looks like - so we could have a sector view FDF and a business view - challenge and balance. |
|
| 11.00am – 11.20am | Break | Coffee and networking | — |
| 11.20am – 12.10pm | Panel discussion - What’s blocking food industry transformation? Deep dive into interoperability. | A practical deep dive into interoperability issues, data standards, capability gaps and industry fragmentation. Identifies tangible blockers and outlines pragmatic steps | Moderator: Rod Howells. Panelists:
|
| 12.10pm – 12.45pm | AI Live Demo | Real-time demonstration of modern AI tools for prototyping. | Moderator: Andrew Martin, head of food, drink and agri-tech, AMRC Cymru
|
| 12.45pm – 1.45pm | Networking lunch | Opportunity to discuss or showcase outputs from the previous session and also get a tour of the AMRC site and projects. | — |
| 1.45pm – 2.15pm | Fireside conversation – Lessons from heavily regulated industries — “Safe Velocity” | Lessons can be learned from implementing data standards in highly regulated sectors such as energy and healthcare without compromising compliance or safety. Practical strategies for accelerating innovation safely, supported by strong governance and engineering discipline. | Moderator: Howard Radcliffe Speaker: David Elliman, Chief of software engineering, Zühlke |
| 2.15pm – 3pm | Panel discussion – The role of data & AI in UK food security and supply chain resilience | Explores how advanced analytics, real-time data sharing, and AI-enabled decision support can strengthen UK food security amid climate biosecurity, labour and geopolitical pressures. | Moderator: Duncan Rawson, partner, EFFP. Panelists:
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| 3pm - 3.20pm | Afternoon break | ||
| 3.20pm – 4pm | Fireside discussion – From fragmented value chains to connected ecosystems | A fireside discussion on shifting from siloed operations to integrated, data-sharing ecosystems. Focus on trust, incentives, commercial models, and lessons from sectors already making this change. Clarifies what it takes commercially, culturally and technically; to build meaningful cross-sector collaboration. | Moderator: Andrew Martin, head of food & drink and agri-tech, AMRC Cymru Panelists: Alex Smith, CEO, FuturePlus Caroline Keohane, head of industry growth, Food & Drink Federation Maud Duthie - van der Venne, consultant, Venne Consultancy |
| 4pm – 4.15pm | Closing remarks - The roadmap forward | Synthesis of the day’s insights, priorities and commitments to provide a clear, united sense of direction for everyone. | Andy Richardson MBE, chair and partner of Frive |
| 4.15pm – 5.30pm | Networking | Drinks and informal discussion. | — |
| 5.30pm | Event close |
More information and registration