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The recent eruption of a volcano in Iceland has had widespread implications across the globe, with a number of countries including the UK unable to run flight services as normal. This has left many industries in chaos, especially the UK food and drink sector.

The main problems

Whilst most reports focus on the problems with fresh food and produce decaying as it cannot be exported, other industry insiders are more concerned about those in key food jobs being stranded in foreign destinations.

Buyers, managers and other essential employees are unable to attend important meetings, make crucial decisions or carry out their daily work as usual; leaving many businesses unable to operate normally. Although there will be a considerable backlog of air freight shipments when the crisis is resolved and significant financial losses, industry bosses are not overly concerned unless this current situation lasts for many more weeks. Speaking of this, the CEO of food supplier Pasta Reale has said:

"We will then see a minor problem potentially moving to a major situation."

Some companies are also finding innovative ways to work around the problem, either working remotely or making strategic plans on how to deal with the predicted logistical challenges when the planes are finally allowed to take off.

As all the major political parties gear up for the General Election in May, it has been revealed that the Conservative Party has big plans for the food and drink industry. According to Tory leaders, establishing a supermarket ombudsman is one of them.

The Conservatives attempted to push through a grocery ombudsman just recently through a Private Members Bill from party member Albert Owen, but this attempt failed and the Bill was dissolved. The party is now focusing on the General Election, with the immediate institution of an ombudsman to monitor and enforce regulations within the food industry being a top priority.

The Private Members Bill apparently failed because of a lack of support from within the industry and those in top food jobs, including the British Retail Consortium (BRC). This key organisation felt the cost of establishing an industry ombudsman would not be justified and would force shop prices to soar and consumers to suffer.

In the run-up to the General Election, however, the Conservatives are hoping for a second chance to push an ombudsman Bill through, although it is not yet clear how they will approach the matter.

Why do so many recruitment consultants ignore data protection?

In this world of litigation its amazing that a recruiter hasn't been prosecuted for breaking the law. So many will present candidate details with no regard for the legal position or indeed the morality of representing someone they have never spoken to or discussed the vacancy with. Some time ago we looked at joining rec whose mission statement is admiral but then you look at some of the members and you know who you are and you think why would we associate ourselves with them.

They cheat lie and do anything for a fee or and break the law.

I think we all deserve better and we should name those who do this... What do you think?

The unique nature and fast pace of the food industry makes it one of the best sectors to work in if you want to get ahead in whatever food job you choose. In many cases, career progression can be achieve through time and experience, working your way up the ladder acquiring new skills as you go.

However, this is not always the case, and you may find that you need extra training or qualifications in order to get where you want to be, especially if you have an unusual or difficult personal situation. But how do you accomplish this?

The following are a few examples of the many excellent career development opportunities available at present:

Learning grants and loans - These can be the best way to learn whilst still earning enough money to support yourself. For example, the Adult Learning Grant will pay you up to £30 a week to help support you whilst you study for your first Level 2 or Level 3 qualification. There is also the Career Development Loan, the Educational Maintenance Allowance and many other Learner Support Funds.

Scholarships - Both undergraduates and postgraduates can apply for scholarships, mainly available for those aiming for engineering and manufacturing food jobs.

Train to Gain - If you're employer is involved in this Learning and Skills Council scheme, you as an employee can benefit from priority training in the specialist skills needed to do your food job effectively, as well as from help progressing in both the organisation you work for and your career.

There are health and safety standards in place in virtually all UK industries, but they have never been more vital than in the food industry. Owners, managers and supervisors of food companies, in whatever shape or form, have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees, to eliminate risk, and to ensure the health and safety of the general public who consume their products.

There are three main legal standards that employers need to adhere to:
• Legal requirements: training - According to the law, food business operators must ensure that any employees handling food are supervised, instructed and trained in all food hygiene matters.
• Compliance - This means that employers are legally required to train those in food jobs specifically according to the nature of their job and any risks that may be associated with their particular role. For those in manufacturing or processing food jobs, this relates to proper storage and handling of food along with correct waste disposal.
• Best practice - This is measured by National Occupational Standards (NOS), which are cross-industry guidelines as to what skills, knowledge and competency each food role demands of an individual. Employees are measured against these NOS in order to assess performance. The NOS are constantly reviewed and adjusted to ensure that they accurately reflect the skills and knowledge of those currently in UK food jobs.
These legal requirements affect you, as a food industry employee, as you need to ensure your employer is following them. If not, the company is operating illegally, and you may be working in unsafe conditions.

In line with the success of the rest of the UK food industry, food and drink businesses in Wales have also been performing well, even despite the recession. There has even been an upsurge of interest in certain areas of Wales in recent years, and it looks like four towns in particular are set to be singled out as 'food towns' of the future. These are:

• Montgomery, in Powys, Mid Wales
• Aberystwyth, Ceredigion
• Dolgellau, in Gywnedd, north-west Wales
• Brecon, southern Powys, Mid Wales

These four towns have been identified as burgeoning food areas by the Mid Wales Local Food Talks initiative, which has been impressed by the rapidly-growing development within the food and drink, retail and tourism sectors of each town. For example, in Dolgellau, nearly all local restaurants and half of the town's 120 tourism businesses source local produce to serve or sell, or are planning to do so in the future.

The area of Mid Wales itself is setting the example for the rest of the country, as shown by the growing number of local food and drink producers in the area, which has more than doubled in only a few years.

Not only is this good for the tourism industry in Wales, but it will also boost employment, creating hundreds if not thousands of new food jobs and career opportunities.

A new report produced by WWF-UK in partnership with the Food Climate Research Network has revealed that organic farming alone will not help the agriculture and food production sector do their part to tackle climate change.

The report, entitled 'How Low Can We Go?', has been welcomed by The Crop Protection Association, as it dispels the belief that organic food production is the only way to combat climate change. The report reveals that the food industry accounts for approximately 30% of the UK's carbon footprint, replacing the previous estimate of only 20%. According to the report, the following changes need to be made in all stages of the food production chain in order to reduce this:

• Carbon emissions and energy consumption need to be reduced in the fields of fertiliser manufacturing, farming operations, and food processing and distribution; all of which currently depend heavily on using fossil fuels
• Consumers' eating habits need to be altered to reduce demand for dairy and meat products
• Every stage of the food industry needs to be made more efficient, which can be done by making the best use of technological developments in equipment and techniques.

These changes will require more skilled and specially trained workers to fill the many new food jobs that will be available in the fields of food technology, production and development, especially if the UK food sector is to reach the ambitious target of a 70% reduction in food chain emissions set for the year 2050.

The major Scottish food organisation, Scotland Food and Drink (SF&D), have recently revealed ambitious new growth targets for the food industry, with the ultimate aim of making Scotland 'A Land of Food and Drink'. The new targets outline SF&D's plans to grow the food industry to £12.5 billion by the year 2017, an increase on the original target of £10 billion. It is believed that these new targets aim to take Scotland out of the recession, boost employment and food jobs, and make Scotland a competitor in global food markets.

These ambitious plans rely on the full support of every sector in the food industry and hinge on a few main factors, including provenance, premium and health. SF&D have also announced the backing of three new sectors: agriculture, aquaculture and fishing. To include them in the targets in such a prominent way seems to be a direct response to government concerns over food production in the future.

Focusing on sustainable production of larger amounts of food is an endeavour which would involve new specialist education and training for those already working within these fields, and the opening up of new technical, scientific and other food jobs in order to expand these sectors.

The government's chief scientist, John Beddington, recently spoke at the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) of the vital need to incorporate scientific innovations into the British agriculture industry. He believes this is necessary in order to avoid food shortages due to the ever-increasing population, even going as far as to say that the world needs to produce up to 50% more food by 2030 to keep up with demand.

The technologies Mr Beddington focused on in his speech were genetic modification (GM) and nanotechnology. He explained how these innovations would enable British farmers to grow a larger amount of crops using less land, as well as improving efficiency and production in all areas of the food supply chain.

If Mr Beddington's ideas are to come into effect, this will mean that a great deal of investment will need to be made in order to train the relevant specialists in these fields, and a large number of new food jobs within various technical and scientific areas will become available.

Although the government has been supportive of research into GM technologies in the past, Mr Beddington's ideas were not so well received by environmentalists. Protestors, including Prince Charles, have warned that these technologies run a very high risk of negatively affecting nature's delicate ecosystems.

In the food industry more than any other UK sector, health and safety is absolutely essential. In order to manufacture and sell safe and high-quality food and drink products to consumers whilst also ensuring that those in food jobs are able to work efficiently, certain government-set codes, standards and practices must be maintained. If you look at the food industry in this way, then the people in health and safety food jobs become some of the most important parts of any food company.

In a health and safety role, especially in any kind of management capacity, the following duties must be undertaken with care and efficiency:

• Overseeing all aspects of Health and Safety Compliance - a main priority in most food companies
• Ensuring that all practices and working conditions comply with government codes and legislation
• Reviewing the procedures of the company and identifying areas where change is needed
• Carrying out risk assessments and company audits
• Identifying employee training requirements

As you can see, a health and safety food job is a vital one within any company, particularly within the food manufacturing industry. It can also be extremely rewarding, as you will eventually gain a position of great responsibility within your chosen food company.