2026 Hiring and Recruitment Trends in Food and Beverage

2025 has been a dynamic year for food and beverage companies. Those in executive roles navigated rapidly changing government policies, the impact of tariffs and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), among other pressing issues.

As we enter 2026, we’re watching the six trends (below). Expect these items to impact mid-sized and privately held food and beverage companies and the top talent they’re recruiting.

If you’ve recruited for a specialized food and beverage role or hired an executive recently, you’ve likely experienced a highly competitive job market.

A number of factors make it more challenging to fill open food industry executive and leadership roles:

• Shrinking internal pipelines of candidates due to reduced internal development programs.
• Economic and political uncertainty keeping talented leaders “job hugging” in their current roles rather than exploring new opportunities.
• More competition from adjacent industries that candidates may perceive as more innovative, such as life sciences, pharmaceuticals and technology.

The good news? Excellent food and beverage leaders are out there, especially passive candidates who aren’t actively job-hunting but would embrace the right opportunity. Specialized food and beverage recruiters with broad networks can shorten the hiring cycle and find these top-tier leaders. Fewer candidates from within also reinforces the need for deliberate succession planning and stretch assignments to strengthen internal development.

In 2026, expect food and beverage companies to maintain (or increase) hiring for executive roles that generate revenue and navigate global supply chains. Candidates with in-depth experience in fields like food safety, research and development (R&D), sales, supply chain and operations will remain in demand.

Leaders adept at spearheading efficiency, automation and continuous improvement initiatives will also be sought-after hires across the food manufacturing sector. More food and beverage firms recognize the need to modernize, automate, implement AI and streamline processes across their organizations.

You can find salary and compensation benchmarks for these (and other) key food and beverage roles here.

Every day in 2025, more than 11,000 Baby Boomers turned 65 years old. Analysts expect similar numbers through 2027, calling this period “Peak 65.” For food and beverage employers reliant on Baby Boomer talent, there’s an immediate need for succession planning.

Starting early is essential, particularly with highly visible executive roles. First, assess your internal talent pipeline. Can you promote from within, or will you need to hire externally? The market may be tight for experienced food and beverage leaders of the next generation, given the relatively small size of Gen X (born between 1965 and 1980) compared to the outgoing Baby Boomer cohort.

Tapping outside expertise can improve succession planning for all involved. The team at Curtis Food Recruiters often helps food and beverage firms outline and build an effective succession plan across the organization.

As more enterprise food and beverage organizations mandate a five-day return to office (RTO), maintaining a hybrid or remote work environment can be the differentiator for mid-sized organizations. In 2026, look at creative policies that will attract top talent to roles in human resources, marketing, sales and finance. Options like one week per month onsite (rather than three days in office each week) can give smaller food and beverage firms access to a much larger pool of candidates. These are often high-performing professionals who would otherwise be inaccessible due to geography. Flexible policies will also improve employee satisfaction and retention.

In-demand executive roles ebb and flow. In 2026, savvy food and beverage organizations have an opportunity to leapfrog their competition by hiring premium talent in “off cycle” periods. Investing

now, with an eye on the future, lets you recruit key roles like marketing, innovation or food research and development (R&D) ahead of larger competitors. It also ensures a longer runway for these leaders to undertake significant initiatives such as creating efficiencies, exploring new products or implementing a core technology.

For salary benchmarks and compensation trends in these (and other) food and beverage leadership roles, download our latest Food & Beverage Salary Report.

A competitive salary is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to attracting and retaining food and beverage talent. A workplace culture that prioritizes a two-way partnership with employees creates another marketable advantage for mid-sized food and beverage companies.

A strong workplace culture centers on a shared vision and values, then promotes these critical tenets consistently through town hall meetings, virtual events, company policies and feedback loops. The more your food and beverage workforce understands your mission—and their purpose in bringing it to life—the more they’ll feel empowered and motivated to help the organization thrive.