FOOD AND DRINK
You might not have thought about a career in food and drink but it’ s a large and growing sector with plenty of opportunities – both for long term employment or aspiring to running your own business. From farm to fork there are a variety of roles across product development, growing, processing, manufacturing, quality testing, package design, distribution and sales. In Leicestershire, there are many food and drink businesses ranging from small‘ artisan’( craftsperson) companies to large producers. The health food market is also growing.
What is happening?
• The food and drink sector makes hundreds of different products; there is innovation in creating new products, new processes and new markets. Specialisms within the sector include bakery, dairy, confectionery, chilled and frozen products.
• This sector has over 8,240 businesses employing around 400,000 people, and is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK.
• Jobs include product manager, quality technician, food technologist, production planner, category manager, environmental technologist, chocolatier, pastry chef, and brewer and food scientist. There are new roles for food security, food safety, social responsibility and sustainability.
• The Food and Drink Manufacturing sector in the Leicester and Leicestershire area employs 13,200 people.
• There is a growing artisan food market, focussing on home grown, hand- made and locally sourced goods. The Melton Mowbray area is establishing itself as the Rural Capital of Food and Drink, and has regular food festivals.
• The Leicester Food Park, providing high quality food manufacturing space with purpose-built units on a 1.5 acre site, supports new and established food businesses.
• The diverse local population ensures an availability of exciting food markets, flavours and products; there is opportunity to use cultural fusion for products.
• Walkers in Beaumont Leys is the largest crisp factory in the world!
• In the UK there are 8, 000 new food products introduced to market every year!
What Work Leicestershire
What could you earn? *
Baker
On the web
Skills & qualities
Food scientist Production engineer Quality assurance technician Food production operative Consumer analyst
Useful subjects
Local employers include
• Hancocks Topco( confectionery)
• Walkers
• Cott Beverages
• Samworth Brothers
• Everards
www. tastesuccess. co. uk www. tastycareers. org. uk www. careersinfoodanddrink. co. uk www. leicesterfoodpark. co. uk
£ 15K- £ 45K £ 20K- £ 45K £ 22K- £ 45K £ 22K- £ 35K £ 14K- £ 24K
£ 20K- £ 50K
• Pukka Pies
• Big Bear Confectionary
• Belvoir Fruit Farms
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