A summit is being held for food and drink manufacturers to discuss the crucial issue of the shortage of food scientists and technologists in the sector. The event, which is a joint venture between Food and drink sector skills council Improve, the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) and Defra, will take place at the Defra Innovation Centre in Reading on September 10.

The employer event will look at the implications of the skills shortage, and discuss opportunities for collaborative action.

Jack Matthews, chief executive of Improve, said: “It is vital that as an industry we take a more unified approach to finding a solution to this problem. There are pockets of activity with some companies doing excellent work in finding innovative solutions to attract and retain scientists and technologists, but this proactive approach must become more widespread. It’s no good for employers to think that it isn’t their problem - it is a problem for the entire sector, and it is in the best interests of the industry to work together to find an effective solution.”

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 is set to worsen unless urgent action is taken.

“The shortage poses a serious threat to the future of food and drink manufacturing in the UK,” added Matthews. “Companies already report skills gaps because of a lack of adequately trained new product development staff, which is hampering the efforts of many firms to boost profitability. If this trend continues we will no doubt see a decline in the UK food and drink manufacturing industry, as it loses its competitive edge to emerging overseas economies.”

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