Sainsbury's initiative to launch a graduate gap year scheme called Taste The World to entice graduates into food science sounds like a good one. Travelling the world learning the food trade in exotic locations like South America and Australia is a great job for the lucky graduates. Raising the profile of food technologists will be good for Sainsbury's and for the industry, because these technologists play a key role in building trust in the industry.
The role of the technologist is often misunderstood. Buyers and suppliers complain about unnecessary bureaucracy and increased costs due to the rules and regulations imposed by technologists. The reality is they have contributed enormously to the trust that customers consistently express in the leading supermarkets. The strong relationships built up between retail technologists and suppliers has contributed to the safety, consistent quality and availability of the food in our supermarkets.
There are increasing challenges ahead for the UK food industry. Well trained, knowledgeable and commercially minded technologists can play a leading role. Customers are becoming ever more interested in the provenance of the food they eat and, as a result, the skills of the technologist will be in demand.
Technology can be at the forefront of future competition within the industry. Businesses with the best technologists will be at the forefront of providing reductions in packaging without compromising safety, ensuring the demand for free range and organic food can be legitimately supplied, and developing tasty and healthy replacements for sugar, fat and salt in our processed foods. These are only a few areas of growing customer concern where technologists can provide a competitive point of difference.
In contrast, there is one area where the industry should ask the technologists to find a common approach. Inconsistent food labelling is confusing consumers and it could lead to the loss of trust in the industry. Consumers do not expect to be confronted with traffic lights from Waitrose and Sainsbury's on one hand, and conflicting messages from Tesco and the major food brands on the other. Food scientists are best placed to resolve this.
For the benefit of the industry, all stakeholders should put aside any preconceptions and put their trust in the leading food scientists to find a common approach.
The role of the technologist is often misunderstood. Buyers and suppliers complain about unnecessary bureaucracy and increased costs due to the rules and regulations imposed by technologists. The reality is they have contributed enormously to the trust that customers consistently express in the leading supermarkets. The strong relationships built up between retail technologists and suppliers has contributed to the safety, consistent quality and availability of the food in our supermarkets.
There are increasing challenges ahead for the UK food industry. Well trained, knowledgeable and commercially minded technologists can play a leading role. Customers are becoming ever more interested in the provenance of the food they eat and, as a result, the skills of the technologist will be in demand.
Technology can be at the forefront of future competition within the industry. Businesses with the best technologists will be at the forefront of providing reductions in packaging without compromising safety, ensuring the demand for free range and organic food can be legitimately supplied, and developing tasty and healthy replacements for sugar, fat and salt in our processed foods. These are only a few areas of growing customer concern where technologists can provide a competitive point of difference.
In contrast, there is one area where the industry should ask the technologists to find a common approach. Inconsistent food labelling is confusing consumers and it could lead to the loss of trust in the industry. Consumers do not expect to be confronted with traffic lights from Waitrose and Sainsbury's on one hand, and conflicting messages from Tesco and the major food brands on the other. Food scientists are best placed to resolve this.
For the benefit of the industry, all stakeholders should put aside any preconceptions and put their trust in the leading food scientists to find a common approach.
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