UK Food & Drink Industry Embarks on Landmark Project to Unlock Innovation

21 Mar 2014 --- UK food and drink manufacturers, academics, researchers and government joined forces to develop collaborative pre-competitive research projects to address the challenges faced by the UK food and drink industry and the global food production system.

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF)'s landmark innovation event brought together high level delegates from the food industry, government and research community to work together to unlock transformative innovation, focusing on the future of manufacturing, resource efficiency, smarter packaging and new ingredients.

Delegates were joined by keynote speaker Professor Sir Mark Walport, Chief Scientific Advisor to Government. During his speech, Sir Mark Walport stressed the importance of innovation to drive economic recovery and tackle challenges such as climate change and food security. He also emphasised Government's commitment to supporting business innovation.

Martin Douglas OBE, Cargill PLC Board Director and UK Agri-Tech Leadership Council Member, issued a call to action for food and drink manufacturers to take forward collaborative pre-competitive research. Martin cited industry's work with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Centre for Food Engineering and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Food as key sector initiatives.

The event follows the launch of FDF's Innovation Vision (pdf) in December 2013, which was developed to bring the industry together and agree on a shared agenda for future sustainable growth through innovation, and help deliver healthier, more secure, sustainable affordable food and drink, accessible to all.

Mark Walport, Chief Scientific Advisor, said: "The Agri-food industry is vitally important to the UK economy and our future food security. We must support efforts to nurture and drive innovation in the industry that helps to us meet future challenges such as climate change and feeding a growing population. Today's event demonstrates that collaboration between food and drink businesses, government and science and research communities is essential in helping us to identify and meet the evolving needs of industry and society."

Martin Douglas OBE, Cargill PLC Board Director and UK Agri-Tech Leadership Council Member, said: “As the UK's largest manufacturing sector, the food and drink industry plays a crucial role in providing safe, affordable and nutritious food to consumers, while delivering sustainable growth for the economy. To continue to fulfil these vital roles, the industry must get smarter with science and be able to clearly articulate its strategic innovation priorities, building on Government's Agri-Tech Strategy to drive innovation forward in manufacturing and the whole supply chain.”

Melanie Leech, Director General, Food and Drink Federation, said: “This event is a significant step towards removing the barriers to competitive and sustainable growth for the food and drink industry. Innovation, new technologies and skills are critical to meeting the future challenge of producing more with less resource. We are pleased to bring together industry, government and research communities to identify the key pre-competitive projects which will deliver our shared vision for innovation.”