Careers in the Food Industry:Opportunities in Research,

Development

& Quality

Jacinta George

Director, Speciality ScienceGlobal Science Centre, Kraft Foods, Reading, Berks

Careers in the Food Industry

•Overview of UK Manufacturing and Kraft Foods

• How to enter into the food industry

• Variety of career options

• Personal experience in the food industry

• Case histories

• Tips for considering employment in the food industry

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UK Food manufacturing

• The food and drink sector is the UK's largest manufacturing sector – 16% of the UK's total manufacturing sector– employing 400,000 people directly in the UK– and as many as 1.2 million in related food services.

• Most major world food players have long-standing manufacturing

facilities in UK

• Characterised by efficient, high quality manufacturing processes

• Fast turnaround of development programmes, frequently new products

on shelf within same year

• Full range of Career opportunities available from pure research, through

development to production and marketing

• International work placements are common

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However…

• By 2017 the sector will require 137,000 new recruits, 45,000 will be for managerial roles and professional occupations (33%).

• A key focus is to highlight the current shortage of qualified food scientists and technologists.

• One in five food scientist and food technologist vacancies in the UK are difficult to fill.

• Skill gap needs to be filled for the industry to compete, not only at a national level but on a global scale, particularly in the areas of food science and technology.

• Consumers are more concerned than ever about safe, high quality food which promotes their health and well-being so great scientists and innovation is key to the future of the food sector

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About Kraft Foods

•World’s 2nd largest food company

• No.1 in North America

• No.1 in global confectionery and biscuits

• Sales in 170 countries

• Approximately 140,000 employees

• Approximately $50 Billion in revenue

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Chocolate, biscuits, cheese, gum & candy, coffee, beverages

A Global Snacks Powerhouse and

Unrivaled Portfolio of Brands People Love

Kraft UK and Ireland sites

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Marlbrook. .Bournville.Sheffield

.Uxbridge.Chirk

.BanburyReading.

.Crediton

.Dublin

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Globally, RD&Q Kraft has over 3,000 scientists Spread over 15 major centers as well as many smaller sites

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Global Science Centers are at Glenview and Reading.

Centers of Excellence are; Coffee- Banbury, Biscuit-East Hanover, Cheese-Glenview,

Chocolate-Bournville, Beverages-Tarrytown, Gum & Candy-Whippany

Curitiba

Whippany

East Hanover

Tarrytown

Banbury

Bournville

Reading Eysins

Melbourne

Mumbai

Mexico City

Glenview

Madison

Munich

Paris

Suzhou

Singapore

Entry into the food industry

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Entry into the food industry

• Part way through degree course - Opportunity to see how theory applies in practice

• 6-12 month work placement

• Build valuable experience whilst making an active contribution to the business

• You have your own objectives, have one-to-one meetings with your manager and be given a

formal review half way through the year

• Buddy - someone who can offer advice and guidance and act as a sounding board if you have

any queries or concerns

• Could be a stepping-stone to the assessment stage of a graduate programme

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Entry into the food industry

• Those that excelled academically with exceptional talent, enthusiastic with high levels of drive

• People who love a challenge and aren't fazed by ambiguity and change.

• A series of rotational placements, generally lasts 3 years before graduates are offered a permanent

position within the organisation in a specific discipline

• Graduate roles in Kraft are initially based in the UK/Ireland (Bournville, Sheffield, Uxbridge, Dublin

and Exeter) but the future international possibilities are limitless

Process: –1. online application form –2. on-line verbal/numerical tests. –3. telephone interview –4. face to face interview with a line manager from the recruiting department–5. The final stage assessment centre will involve further psychometric testing, followed by an informal dinner with managers and current graduates. The main assessment centre on the following day is designed to be challenging but fun. Candidates will usually be informed of a decision within a week.11

Entry into the food industry

• Direct entry eg following graduation, work experience

• Usually once you have acquired some experience

• Sometimes school leavers with day release support, 1 day a week

• Benefit - on the job experience and salaried, whilst studying

• Day release course fees usually sponsored by employer

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Entry into the food industry

• Need to replace 30% of our current workforce by 2017 due to employees entering retirement or leaving the industry.

• We do not currently have a sufficient pipeline of young people that could potentially be engineers, managers or team leaders of the future.

• Food and drink manufacturers to double the number of apprenticeships from approximately 1,700 to 3,400.

• Apprenticeships will also be an important tool to 'grow our own' talent

• Greater demand for apprenticeships is also expected due to rising tuition fees in higher education. As a result, more apprenticeships will need to be available to meet this demand.

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Variety of career options

Variety of career options

• A qualification in biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry, microbiology, or as a food scientist / technologist can open doors for the following careers:

• Technical and managerial career ladders

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Business

development/

Sales

Chemical

engineering

Supply

chain

Financial

management

Marketing

Management

‘Cutting edge' of science

and technology

Quality

Production

Knowledge

manager

Project manager

Research /

technical director

Product developer

Consultant

Consumer

research

Teacher

Training

Food & Drink Federation website –career section

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Provides a Qualification route map

outlines the academic and vocational qualification routes available to individuals

entering food science and technology careers in the sector, from entry through to

postgraduate level.

Job progression map

Bournville

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•Worldwide home of Kraft chocolate development

•Pilot plant currently being upgraded and extended

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Banbury

•Worldwide centre for development of all coffee categories

•Tassimo Hot Beverage System (a consumer coffee machine) invented and developed in Banbury

Reading

• Services to Kraft Businesses• Analytical Sciences• Ingredients & Process Research• Open Innovation & Knowledge Management• Consumer Science • Nutrition Research

• RSSL limited: Science & technology outsourcing services to global food & pharma industry• Services include research, analysis, training, consultancy and product innovation

Based on Reading University campus

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My personal experience

in the food industry

My personal experience in the food industry

Qualifications

•Degree in Chemistry (CChem, MRSC)

•City & Guilds in Teaching

•Business Management; Masters in Business Administration (MBA)

Work history

•1990’s:Joined Cadbury as a Flavour Chemist

•1992: Transferred to contract research in RSSL business

•1994: Schweppes in Ireland in Quality control lab

•1996: Cadbury Beverages (Connecticut, US) research analytical lab

•2000: Business development manager for RSSL

•2002: General manager, Business development

•2005: Commercial director, RSSL

•2010: Associate director, Speciality Sciences at Kraft Reading Global Science Centre

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Employee profile: Joanne Rowe

Higher Education

• MChem - University of Bath (2002-2006)

– One year industrial placement at RSSL, Reading (2004-2005)

• PhD – University of Bristol (2006-2010)

– ‘Synthesis and characterisation of stimuli responsive nanoparticles’

Kraft Graduate training scheme 2009-2012

• Product Design Technologist, Bournville (2009/10)

– Product development role, creating new moulded product designs, in conjunction with marketing.

• Ingredients and Process Research, Reading (2010/11)

– Carrying out strategic research for coffee and chocolate categories.

• Packaging Technologist, Loerrach (from 2011)

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Employee profile: Sarah Marshall

Higher Education

• Day release (sponsored by company plus some invested in directly by Sarah)

Career journey

• Joined product development team – intended for 1 year

• Day release led to HNC in science qualification after 2 years

• Continued study with Catering City & Guilds qualification, 1 year course

• And Wine & Spirits Education Trust Certificate

• Product developer role evolved into project manager

• Marketing team in Cadbury Schweppes

• Research

• Business development

• Lab manager for product development with extended responsibility for similar team in Chicago, in US

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Why consider a career in the food industry?

We all eat food –

job forever

It’s exciting!

Make a difference

We are what we eat ~ We are what we eat ~ We are what we eat ~ We are what we eat ~ increased focus on health and well being increased focus on health and well being increased focus on health and well being increased focus on health and well being

Design the next

generation of snacksHelp to feed the world

The science behind your dinner

Who is developing food and beverages for space travellers?

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Opportunity to

work with world

class experts

Tang

• Tang is a (powdered) fruit-flavoured breakfast drink was famously used by some early NASA manned space flights.

• In 1962, when astronaut John Glenn conducted eating experiments in orbit, Tang was selected for the menu

• Mechanism on the space craft produced water via chemical reaction. The astronauts would use this water to drink during their space flight. The problem was, the astronauts did not like the taste of the water because of some of the by-products produced, which were not harmful

• So, they added Tang to make the water taste better

• Masked unpleasant taste in water• 100% RDA of vitamin C;

and vitamin A, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin B6

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If you would like to consider a career in the food industry, some tips…….

• Keep your degree training broad: precise training will be provided specific to the job

• Build up work experience in your spare time eg work in food during your holiday jobs (restaurant, work experience in food companies)

• Take every opportunity to learn (best opportunities come at the most inconvenient times ~ 4pm on a Friday afternoon)

• Ask to visit other sites (or even the department next door)

• Remember: managers like self-starters

• Can see talent within ~ 2 months of joining the organisation

• Keep in touch after you leave – LinkedIn/ lunch/ network

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For further information

•www.kraftfoodscompany.com

•www.rssl.com

• itsyourkindofplace.com

•www.kraftfoodsgraduates.co.uk/

• www.fdf.org.uk/campaigns/careers.aspx

• http://www.rsc.org/careers-jobs/Chemnet: help with research, revision, chemistry careers, chat with the RSC ChemNet community online for 16-18yrs

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All the best in your career choice

Thank you for your time

Any questions?