Sainsbury's boss Justin King will co-chair the food economy task force at the National Centre for Universities & Business (NCUB), with the aim of improving the number of graduates entering the food industry.
Launched today, the task force will also be chaired by Professor Quintin McKellar, vice-chancellor at the University of Hertfordshire, and has been set up in response to the government's£160 million agri-tech strategy.
Last week, Sainsbury's announced a new graduate scheme, which is backed by fruit suppliers including ChingfordFruit, aimed at increasing the level of young recruits entering the fresh produce industry and King says the supermarket will continue to work hard to attract young workers into horticulture.
He explained: 'The agri-food sector is one of the most important industries in the UK, which is why it is important to plan for the future now. We need to continue to attract and develop young talent and back up new technologies. This will ensure we continue to provide quality food produced to the high standards that customers rightly expect.'
Meanwhile, McKellarechoed King's views and has called for the development of more plant scientists.
He added: “Profitable and sustainable agriculture and food industries are vital to the UK and they must be resilient to extremes of weather and other disrupting events. These industries require innovative graduates and ground-breaking research to remain competitive and responsive; this initiative will support that agenda.”
