Food Job Blog

Improve, in conjunction with IFST and DEFRA, held an event recently to establish what actions needed to be in place to ensure that there is an adequate supply of skilled food science and technologists in the UK. The afternoon session consisted of a series of workshops to identify and discuss how industry stakeholders can work closer and better together to ensure the required supply of food science and technologists in the UK.

Although the workshops identified many issues within the sector, the most common response was that both industry and education must work closer together to identify what is required to address the skills shortages. The objective of this closer working would be to become more proactive and creative about the provision and quality of courses, but to also increase the awareness and perception of the opportunities available in the sector with school children and students at all levels and stages. At the core of this outcome, is the involvement of the careers service and advisors, subject teachers and parents in understanding the opportunities and options available to FST graduates/qualified people.

After identifying the problems, the workshops focussed on possible short, medium and long-term solutions. As well as tackling educational awareness, solutions put forward included raising the profile of the industry through media events and making food factory clothing more stylish and functional. You can read full details of the findings here.

Everyone is in accord that more needs to be done to raise the profile of the food industry, but will the proposed measures be enough? What attracted you to a career in FST and how would you encourage more people to follow in your footsteps?

Statistics from the UK's largest free to use discount and voucher code website have revealed that sales related to online supermarket shopping have outstripped electronic and gadget related online sales for the first time since internet retail was established.

It appears that we are turning to online supermarket sites to hunt for bargains on essential items such as bread and milk, as well as exclusive offers and discounts on home delivery.

4238 people from across the UK took part in the research which revealed that Tesco leads the way when it comes to the most popular online supermarket website with 44.2% of people saying they shopped at the retail giant leaving ASDA trailing with just 23.2% and Sainsbury's with only 11.7% of market share.

Apart from the obvious convenience and time saving factors, what other benefits can you derive from shopping online? Unless an item is out of stock, you'll get everything that was on your list AND you won't buy all of those extra things you hadn't planned on buying.

Do you do your grocery shopping online? Are you completely satisfied with the service you receive? We'd love to hear your experiences...

The Guardian on Saturday reminded us that there is a shortage of food science and food technology graduates leaving UK universities. Jobs in this field range from the scientific side of product development to marketing and getting products on to the shelves, and graduates can command salaries up to £25,000 plus benefits.

In the report, Dr Richard Frazier, head of food and bioprocessing sciences group at the University of Reading, said "There are many exciting challenges facing the food industry and there is a constant demand for food science and food technology graduates who possess a strong scientific and technical skill base, combined with an understanding of how to manage consumer issues concerning food safety, quality and nutrition. Graduate careers are among the most rewarding among professional groups in terms of salary and promotion prospects."

So why are students still shying away from food science degrees? Will the government's decision to introduce compulsory food technology lessons for 11 - 14 year olds in 2011 encourage more people to pursue a career in this highly rewarding field?

Custard, sticky toffee puddings and other comfort food is making a comeback, as consumers try to ward off the economic crisis with nursery fare from their childhood. (The Telegraph 24 October)

Although we're cutting back on food shopping for the first time in over two decades, we're buying more puddings and pies. In the last 6 months, sales of custard have increased by 20%, Marks and Spencer bread and butter pudding by 15% and their sticky toffee pudding by 10%. Meanwhile, Tesco reports a 62% rise in sales of rice pudding and sales of shepherds pie and beef casserole ready meals have tripled.

Tesco spokesman Jonathan Church said: "The misery of the credit crunch has had a direct effect on our eating habits and shoppers are buying foods to cheer themselves up. There's nothing like a good old plate of pie and mash or a bowl of rice pudding to tuck into and help put a smile back on our faces."

Sales of luxury ready meals also appear to be on the increase as consumers are deserting restaurants and eating at home.

How have the contents of your grocery basket changed over the past few months? And would you like to see development chefs stepping back in time and creating more 1950's style ready meals?

Luckily for the food industry, even in times of a recession, people still need to eat. We may change our diet somewhat, but we will continue to buy food. This is obviously good news for us as the food industry will continue to employ graduates.

The Guardian on Thursday published an interesting article, Graduates who have studied abroad more appealing to businesses, and would be curious to know how relevant food professionals, and graduates of food related courses, feel this is to our industry.

The article tells us that international businesses are increasingly seeking graduates who have a global awareness, particularly those who have the initiative to study overseas as part of their learning. Britain is home to people from many different cultures and nationalities, so should our food industry graduates, even those who plan to take up a career at home, be more culturally aware?

What benefits would the food industry gain if students undertook a period of study, or work experience, abroad? As always, we'd love to hear your views...

World Food Day provides an occasion to once again highlight the plight of 923 million undernourished people in the world. Most of them live in rural areas where their main source of income is the agricultural sector. Global warming and the biofuel boom are now threatening to push the number of hungry even higher in the decades to come.

The official World Food Day ceremony at FAO headquarters will take place on 16 October in the presence of member countries, civil society and for the first time involving representatives from the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) and the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF).

EPFL and CAF are working with FAO as part of a United Nations effort to promote sport for development and peace through a partnership to launch and promote a campaign called "Professional football against hunger".

Other events include the special WFD ceremony at United Nations headquarters in New York on 17 October; the third annual Run-for-Food event being held in the city of Rome on 19 October and expected to involve over 4000 participants; and a worldwide Candlelight Vigil on 21 October, both events taking place both in Rome and in other countries around the world.

Is your organisation planning an event to support World Food Day? If so we'd love to hear about it...

People will have to be rationed to four modest portions of meat and one litre of milk a week if the world is to avoid run-away climate change, a major new report warns. (The Guardian, September 30)

The report, by the Food Climate Research Network, based at the University of Surrey, also says total food consumption should be reduced; especially "low nutritional value" treats such as alcohol, sweets and chocolates.

Tara Garnett, the report's author, urges us to return to the habits our mothers and grandmothers were familiar with; buying locally grown seasonal products, cooking in bulk and avoiding waste. (You can download the full report HERE)

In a nation that has become increasingly reliant on fast food and pre-packaged ready made meals, what impact will this new report have on consumers? And more importantly how will the food industry as a whole react?

The food industry must do more to stop millions of pounds of goods going to waste, according to a national charity. (BBC News 18 Sept)

FareShare, a charity which distributes food to projects helping the poor and homeless, is calling on suppliers and retailers to help drag thousands of Britons out of food poverty. FareShare acts as a waste broker, charging supermarkets and suppliers to take unwanted food which has been oversupplied, has packaging faults or is nearing the end of its shelf life. Companies like Kelloggs and Nestle are already among Fareshare's regular customers.

This sounds like a good solution for the food industry, but what should we as individuals be doing to curb the ridiculous amount of food we throw away each year?

The world is in the midst of a credit crisis, there's a global food shortage, and yet according to Philip Ward, director for local government services at WRAP, in the UK alone we throw away 6.7m tones of food every year. That's a staggering £10bn worth - and most of that ends up in landfill. Food waste that goes to landfill, decays to produce methane, which is a very potent greenhouse gas adding to climate change.

East Devon Council recently began a scheme to turn food waste into electricity. Kitchen leftovers and plastic bottles are being collected from about 12,000 homes in the Axe valley area on a weekly basis. The waste will then be recycled to produce a gas, generating electricity for the National Grid.

But can householders be bothered to further sort their rubbish? Do you want yet another wheelie bin cluttering up the garage or standing on the driveway? And how on earth do you keep track of which day to put out which particular bin?

We'd love to receive your comments...

Drinks Media Wire published an article last week informing us that new research from the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) shows that only one in four of us actually look for nutrition information on food packaging when we go to the supermarket.

The research, conducted in three UK supermarket chains with different labelling schemes (ASDA, Sainsbury's, Tesco), offers insight into how this information is used in real life shopping situations and is the first part of a broader study in six EU countries.

It appears that we are still lacking knowledge of the nutritional values of certain foods. 90% of consumers know that they should eat more fruit and vegetables, fibre and whole grains and yet only 5% of consumers surveyed knew that they should eat a lot of starchy foods such as bread and potatoes.

We also under-estimate calorie needs whilst over-estimating the amount of physical activity needed to burn them off. A major concern is people's understanding of the calorific needs of children. 35% of consumers think children need more calories than an adult man. Not surprising then that we have seen a dramatic increase in childhood obesity over the last few years.

According to the BMA, the health service spends a staggering £2 billion per year treating ill health caused by poor diet and if current trends continue at least 20% of boys and 33% of girls will be obese by the year 2020.

As food industry professionals, what part should we be playing in solving this problem? What can we do to convince people that a well balanced diet coupled with regular physical activity leads to a healthier lifestyle?

As always, we welcome your suggestions...

In the current economic climate, is this the right time to be searching for a new job? Not only is the country drawing closer to recession but a new wave of graduates has just hit the job market. So what are the prospects for those looking for a career change? The answer, at least for food scientists and technologists, is EXCELLENT!

The lack of qualified food professionals is now so critical that on 10 September there is a summit to enable food and drink manufacturers to discuss the crucial issue of the shortage of food scientists and technologists in the sector.

Food and drink sector skills council Improve has joined forces with the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) and Defra, to host an employer event looking at the implications of the shortage, and discussing opportunities for collaborative action.

Research from Improve has highlighted the fact that one in four food science and technologist roles in the industry remains unfilled - a shortage of more than 2,000 qualified professionals. With fewer young people choosing to study food science, and many of those that do ultimately pursuing careers in different sectors, it is a problem that's set to worsen unless urgent action is taken.

Although recruitment in other industries may be slowing down, food is fashionable, we love it and more importantly, we need it. For those wanting to change jobs within the food industry, there may never be a better time. Why not check out the wide range of opportunities currently available on the Focus site?

As a food professional, why not share your views on this topic. We're always happy to receive your comments...