Supermarket boss meets the food scientists of the future

PA 206/11 Over 40 GCSE science pupils with their thoughts on a career in the food industry will be put through their culinary paces — and have the chance to quiz the Chief Executive of one of the UK's leading supermarkets — during a residential three day summer school at The University of Nottingham this week. As well as discovering how sensitive their noses can be, how good their taste buds are and finding out how one of our super foods is made, the 43 prospective food scientists will also attend the Lord Haskins' endowed lecture which this year is being given by Justin King CBE — the Chief Executive of Sainsbury's. Justin King — who has held senior positions at Marks and Spencer, ASDA, Pepsi-Cola International and Mars during his distinguished career in the food industry — will be talking to the year 11's about the wide variety of opportunities available in the food industry — now the UK's largest manufacturing sector providing 3.6 million jobs. He will also be telling them about the benefits the sector brings to the UK economy as well as the challenges it faces in years to come. The three day action packed summer school, organised by the Division of Food Sciences in the School of Biosciences, aims to show GCSE students how science is used to ensure the supply of safe, nutritious and tasty food and to help them find out what it would be like to work in the food industry and to study food sciences at university.