The chain claims there is a critically low number of food technologists in the UK and this initiative aims to fund food-science graduates to travel for a year while working for suppliers of their choice, including the chain’s fresh produce suppliers.
Professor Christine Williams from the University of Reading said: “Encouraging graduates to become interested in food technology is crucial to the industry and ultimately the future of Britain’s health. It seems quite ironic that despite the UK becoming a nation of foodies, there has been a decrease in people wanting to become food experts. We hope this scheme whets their appetite in joining the industry. Travelling is also something that appeals to young people so this scheme will attract the best candidates which is a positive step for the food industry.“
Sainsbury’s is working closely with a number of universities around the UK to help implement the scheme. To kick-start it, the chain Sainsbury’s has just taken part in the traditional graduate-employment milk round and visited final-year students at five universities across the UK. The university visits have included showing food-science students a short film featuring Sainsbury’s product developers and technologists to attract them to the scheme.
To be eligible for Taste the World, graduates must have a food or science based degree, pass through Sainsbury’s graduate assessment centre and be accepted onto the Sainsbury’s graduate scheme as a product technologist.
Liz Jarman, Sainsbury’s head of product technology, said: “The last three years has seen a massive turnaround in what supermarkets, and suppliers, are doing to clean up their acts to make food healthier, and to feed the nation. It couldn’t be a more exciting time to join the industry.
We wanted to come up with an interesting way of attracting the best people to the business as they’ll help shape the future of food. Sainsbury’s is committed to selling healthy, fresh and tasty food, but we need good quality colleagues to help achieve this for our customers.”
In August this year the Confederation of British Industry confirmed that like other sciences courses - applicants for food science degree courses have more than halved in the last decade, while Britain’s Institute of Food Science and Technology has warned that the sector is struggling to fill empty seats.
The Taste the World graduates will be obliged to work and travel for 12 months before full-time employment with Sainsbury’s. Work overseas will be varied and paid at local rates to cover basic expenses. The retailer will also contribute £1,000 towards the cost of flights, insurance cover and will help the plan the trip and ensure all health and safety checks have been made. Graduates will be required to write web-based journals whilst they travel.
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