David Cameron to meet supermarket chief executives in bid to tackle youth unemployment The meeting at Number 10, with the new Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson, marks the first Skills Week in the food industry. Industry leaders at the meeting will include the chief executives of Asda, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury and Waitrose. Mr Paterson said: "The food sector is helping to drive the UK's economic recovery and has ambitious plans for further growth, seizing the export opportunities offered by soaring global demand for high-quality British products. But this will only happen if we get the right people into the right jobs, and give them the skills to use new ideas and technology to keep UK businesses at the forefront of the global food industry. The meeting is being held under the auspices of the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD). After meeting the industry chiefs, the Prime Minister and Mr Patterson will meet a group of young workers employed in the retail sector. The meeting comes as the food retail industry plans a week of events aimed at boosting employment. The industry will be offering free training in 700 locations across the UK while 10,000 young people are expected to visit farms and factories. In a letter published in Tuesday's Daily Telegraph, IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch said: "As Britain's biggest private sector employers, accounting for one in seven of all jobs, the food and grocery industry is uniquely placed to help tackle unemployment. It makes good business sense too, because we need to nurture the next generation of young employees.