Tesco and Asda have waded into political territory this week with their double commitment to employ young British people and train them properly (p1).

But as Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy criticised education standards as “woefully low” and Asda chief operating officer Andy Clarke urged the industry to put its faith in young people, we must step back and consider why the grocery retail sector - and fresh produce too, for that matter - is still failing to attract enough young talent.

A job that offers a competitive salary, the chance of promotion, a challenging and rewarding career - often with the option of travel - ticks the boxes on most people’s dream job list. And that is exactly what many positions in the fresh produce industry can offer.

However, it is clear that there is still a long way to go before the sector is able to overcome its ‘talent crunch’ - that is, a lack of newcomers to the industry that will hurt in the long term.

So what next? The recession has made the jobs market more static and difficult to negotiate than ever but, with this, there should be a growing pool of talented people looking for work and willing to transfer their skills to sectors that they may not have considered before.

This is the right time for the fresh produce industry to make the most of what it has to offer to attract new blood, no matter how Tesco and Asda intend to carry out their pledge.