Fresh-Pak teams up with University of Leicester to develop the food science

Leading British food manufacturer, Fresh-Pak Chilled Food Ltd, is utilising the expertise of scientists at the University of Leicester to innovate its production processes and improve quality.

The Yorkshire-based company has 20 years of experience in chilled sandwiches and accompaniments, and supplies UK stores with 5 million boiled eggs per week. It has established a partnership with the Department of Chemistry which is set to include academic consultancy, student projects, and a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). The project will involve recruiting an Analytical Chemist, who will be appointed at the end of this month and mentored by an academic.

The academic team at the university studies the behaviour of biomaterials and the wider material science field, and is dedicated to creating bespoke analytical solutions. Professor Andy Abbott said: “The benefit to the University of collaborating with Fresh-Pak will be in demonstrating the impact of excellent academic research on a market sector… the new knowledge and best practice gained as result of the collaboration will feed back into the University in terms of teaching, new research themes and publication.”

For Fresh-Pak, the aim of the partnership is to help boost yields and quality, establishing Fresh-Pak as a centre of food technology excellence, and to build on its already impressive credentials. The MD of Fresh-Pak, Keith Foreman, said: “We are delighted to partner with the University of Leicester… In today’s highly competitive landscape we firmly believe that companies who innovate and constantly challenge all aspects of their operation will succeed and the creation of a new Centre of Excellence will be instrumental in this.”

Follow ManufacturingGL