News Round: A Round Up of the Latest in Food News

 Asda Rated Most Trusted Supermarket

A recent survey conducted by The Grocer, has proved Asda to be the most trusted of the leading supermarkets when it comes to claims surrounding pricing and promotions, beating off competitor Sainsbury’s by just over 5%.

20.1% of the consumer vote was awarded to Asda, over Sainsbury’s’ 14.9%. In third place Tesco secured 11.8% of the votes, 8.1% of shoppers felt Waitrose was the most trustworthy and bringing up the rear with 5.3% was M&S.

An Asda spokeswoman commented on the findings:

“When you are who you say you are it unlocks the key to customer loyalty”.

Robert Wiseman Dairies Bought By Müller Group

After humble beginnings in 1947 on a Scottish family farm, Robert Wiseman has sold their dairy business to German company Müller.

1/3 of Britain’s fresh milk is provided by Robert Wiseman’s 6 dairies, which process 1.5bn litres of milk a year.

£92m of the final £279.5m selling price was awarded to the Wiseman Brothers. The remainder was distributed between shareholders, including First Milk and 1000 of Wiseman’s 5000 employees.

Analyst Pete Hunt has doubted Müller’s purchase, stating;

“There will be a small amount of savings in combining it with its UK yoghurt business, but there is no real strategic benefit,"

Walkers’ New Mystery Flavours

Walkers has launched 3 new varieties of crisps, but the 3 new flavours are being kept a mystery. Mystery A, B and C to be precise.

Consumers adventurous enough to play crisp roulette will have the chance to win a £50k prize if they can identify a flavour correctly. The guessing will be made ever so slightly easier, by Walkers revealing the flavours are influenced by popular British ingredients and recipes.

Other clues will be given away through the use of social media, on avenues such as Facebook and Twitter. Those who have a hunch and would like to do so can enter via Facebook, text and the Walkers website.

Best of the Rest

Sisters to restore Brookes Avana within two years

http://goo.gl/3SkqM

Unilever signs major chocolate supply deal

http://goo.gl/Qhm2X

Easter Egg sales rely heavily on special deals

http://goo.gl/oOsTu

Food Focussed CV Tips

Whether you’re a permanent or interim in the Food Manufacturing industry, there are certain golden rules to adhere to when compiling your CV. The consultants here at Quantica have given thought to what makes a good CV in this sector, below are our handy hints!

1: Detail your area

For any given role a consultant may be asked to find a candidate with, for example ‘chilled’ experience. When searching on job boards these key words are integral, as they will be used as search terms. Whether your experience lies in chilled, dairy, ambient, and so on, make sure it’s on your CV! Also, add in details such as particular product knowledge and experience.

2: List and quantify your achievements

Think about the role/roles you have had in your career and if you haven’t already then list your achievements. This allows employers a vital insight into your successes and therefore what you can potentially do for them. For example, if you are a Technical Manager a fantastic achievement to detail would be; “Saved meat processing contract from Double Red audit status to Amber/Green, gaining full buy in to changes from key team members & addressing complaints.”.

3: Make your hobbies relevant

The hobbies section on your CV can be a fantastic opportunity to highlight your strengths. If you are seeking a management position, display how you exhibit managerial ability in your personal life. An illustration of this could be managing your local football team.

4: Show off your qualifications

In the food industry it is important to highlight your most relevant and advance qualifications. There is no need to feature your GCSE grades if you have a degree, show your highest level of education. It is also integral to specify all professional and industry related courses completed.

5: Paint a picture of your experience

Employers like to have a comprehensive understanding of your career history, this means not only understanding what you did but where you did it. The environment you achieved your professional highlights in can define their importance. Itemise which site you worked at, how many employees that particular site had, who were the main customers/main retailers etc.

Quick Tips

Do’s

• Do use bullet points.
• Do go into detail about recent roles but summarise ones over 10 years old.
• Do have an email address you feel reads professionally.
• Do try and keep your CV to a maximum of two pages.

Don’ts

• Don’t leave gaps in your CV – explain periods of unemployment where possible.
• Don’t speak in the 3^rd person.
• Don’t over complicate it; a simply laid out CV is the most effective.

Food Manufacturing: The Next Generation

At present there is a distinct lack of qualified technicians within the food manufacturing industry and with 1/3 of the workforce set to retire within the next five years the question looms, where will the next generation of food manufacturers come from?

A recent report from the Liverpool Daily Post claimed that manufacturing recovery has been hampered by the skills gap. Lloyd Whiteley, chairman of Liverpool based food and agricultural group Edward Billington stated:

“At universities, engineering has gone downhill. It is now making a comeback, but there’s a gap in people in their 20’s and 30’s”.

Sharing a similar sentiment Richard Else, Operations Manager said:

“It was short-sighted of us four years ago when we cut back on these things, we should have invested in it (skills)”.

One regulatory body taking action against the apparent skills gap is The Food and Drink Federation. Noting the need for an influx of trained professionals in the industry they are calling for food manufactures to sign a pledge to increase the number of apprenticeships they offer.

Alongside the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink and the National Apprenticeship Service, the FDF hosted a workshop at the tail end of last year, with the explicit aim of informing on the benefits an apprentice can bring.

It seems that the sector itself is going someway to accommodate those looking to move into the food manufacturing and to nurture their talent. However do we also need a system in place to educate and entice the next generation into the industry?