New strategy charts ambitious future for Irish Prepared Consumer Foods sector
Print24 November 2025
The Prepared Consumer Foods (PCF) Council, as part of Ibec’s Food Drink Ireland sector, has today launched the Prepared Consumer Foods Strategy for Ireland 2025–2035.
The new strategy, launched by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, reflects the sector’s strong performance over the past decade, offering insights into current challenges facing businesses, and providing recommendations that create an environment for this sector to thrive over the next ten years.
In a statement, Heydon, said: “In an environment of evolving challenges, from climate change to global market pressures, the provision of a clear roadmap for the development of Prepared Consumer Foods sector is now more critical than ever.
“The Prepared Consumer Foods sector has proven its immense resilience and capacity for innovation.
“By advancing the goals of Food Vision 2030 through a partnership approach, the sector is not just managing the present but also actively securing a prosperous, competitive, and climate-smart future for the next generation of food companies and Irish farmers.”
Value-added food and beverages
There are currently 1,650 PCF companies producing or supplying value-added food and beverages, from packaged fruit and vegetable produce to value-added meat, consumer dairy, ambient, frozen, bakery, non-alcoholic beverages, and much more.
The vision of the strategy is to foster a vibrant, competitive and growing PCF sector that enriches lives, economies and our planet, cementing its role as a key contributor to Ireland’s economy by driving job creation, leading in both innovation and sustainability, and supporting healthier lifestyles.
Killian Barry, Danone Ireland managing director and chair of the PCF Council, highlighted that PCF is a key part of the overall food sector, and of the Irish economy.
“This strategy presents a vision and an action plan to ensure that the passion, innovation and energy that drives PCF businesses is recognised and supported by Government, to allow the sector to reach its potential by 2035,” he said.
“Despite recent challenges, including rising costs for commodities, transport, energy, and manufacturing, the sector has demonstrated remarkable agility and achieved considerable growth.
“Between 2014 and 2024, exports increased by 52%, revenue rose by 36%, and employment expanded by 36%.”
Five interconnected pillars
The strategy is built around five interconnected pillars – Competitiveness, People, Innovation, Sustainability, and Health. Within these pillars, the strategy outlines key policy recommendations and industry initiatives that will enable the sector to fulfil its potential.
These include:
- Include PCF companies of all sizes in state supports for capital expenditure
- Establish regular data reporting on the PCF sector by the Central Statistics Office (CSO)
- Establish an Apprenticeship in Food Operations Management (FOM) and work with PCF companies to drive participation in this and other relevant apprenticeships
Read more: Prepared Consumer Foods announces new Council chair
© 2025, ShelfLife by Donna Ahern
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