We caught up with Sainsbury’s boss – chief executive Justin King – when he was on his way to the Sainsbury’s UK School Games. He chatted to us about everything, from the Paralympics and healthy eating to The Wanted!

What’s the idea behind the Sainsbury’s UK School Games?

The idea of the School Games is to recreate the atmosphere of the Olympics and Paralympics. It’s a four-day, national multi-school event. The participants have all qualified through their schools and then their areas and regions all the way up to a national level. At the official opening ceremony, we have a full parade of athletes coming in, a few speeches and an official opening which is being done by Ellie Simmonds. Then there’s a big Cirque du Soleil-type show. 

Is it true that the kids who take part have an athlete mentor?

Yes. One of the principles of the Games is that it’s part of the process of preparing our very best athletes for the future. Many of the under 19s will be part of our Olympic team in Rio in 2016. So, part of that process is that older athletes, that have experienced events like the youth games or in some instances the Olympics and Paralympics, mentor the young people involved in the Sainsbury’s UK School Games.

How did you choose your ambassadors, Ellie Simmonds and Jodie Williams?

We felt Ellie had the ability to really inspire young people in a way we had not seen among any other young athlete and, when she became an Ambassador, she had already won her first medal in Beijing. Jodie was a fast rising star and we wanted to have both an able bodied and a disabled athlete because Active Kids has always been designed as an inclusive idea. You probably know Sainsbury’s is one of the major sponsors of the Paralympics.

Why was the company so keen to sponsor the Paralympics?

We believe we have a responsibility to encourage active lifestyles and that the key to a healthy lifestyle is activity. Too many of our young people don’t take part in activity, the statistics are staggering – 70% of girls don’t take part in sport beyond their 13th birthday.

Are you hoping to change that?

What we’ve tried to do over the last six or seven years is to take a lead in inspiring our young people to stay active, whether they are able-bodied or disabled, and the Paralympics is a great way of communicating that. We’ve found that Paralympic athletes, like Ellie, don’t just inspire disabled young people, they inspire able-bodied young people as well.

With the rising problem of obesity, are Sainsbury’s keen to promote good nutrition alongside an active lifestyle?

Yes, we have tried to take a lead on both the calories in as well as the calories out, most notably through our front of pack nutritional labels. We are the only major supermarket to do this on all of our own label products. In the middle of the campus at the Games, we have an Active Kids village where we have what we call our trial team. You might have seen the ladies on TV in an advert with Jamie Oliver. We have 12 ladies who travel the country, going to schools, teaching young people about a healthy diet.

Do you think it’s important to talk to kids directly, as well as their parents?

I think they are more important because what we find is that children are very much prepared to take responsibility for what they eat but also, more importantly, are excited and interested in it. There are two aspects of healthy eating: the first is believing it’s easy to do, and the second is that it’s actually tasty. Lots of young people and children believe that, if it tastes good, it must be bad for you and that’s simply not the case.

How much influence do you think children have on the weekly shop?

Either directly or indirectly they have a big influence. Most parents want everything they buy to be eaten up. If you’re shopping on a restricted budget the last thing you want is waste, so one of the ideas behind the idea ‘Try something new today’ is to give mums and dads confidence that they can deliver tasty food that will be eaten by their children, and their children will say: “I’m happy to give that a go.”

Does it tie in with Sainsbury’s Active Kids?

In our Active Kids brochure, you will see in addition to sports equipment, footballs, netballs and that kind of thing, there are pages supporting the national curriculum for cooking and home economics. Many of our schools order all the equipment they need to restart things like cookery and home economics in the national curriculum with their Active Kids vouchers.

Will you be going to Sainsbury’s Super Saturday?

I shall be there and I have a few tickets to take my children along, so I’m looking forward to that.

Are there any particular acts you’re looking forward to seeing?

You’re talking to a withered old man! Well, I know that it’s The Wanted who are top of my children’s list!

The event’s being held to celebrate a year to go until the Paralympics, is that right?

Precisely. It coincides with the launch of the tickets for the Paralympics. I’m on the local board as well, so I’m involved in organising the Olympics and the Paralympics. A big part of what we are trying to do is to engage people in Paralympic sports.

First News had a great time at Sainsbury’s Super Saturday. Click here to read our behind the scenes report!