Innovation fund awards £75k to healthier food products

Developed by Interface and FDF Scotland’s Reformulation for Health Programme to support food and drink businesses as part of the Scottish Food & Drink Recovery Plan, funding has been awarded to eight collaborations between businesses and universities in Scotland.

Projects ranged from improving products high in fats, sugars and salts in bakery products and ready meals; to addressing public health challenges such as fortifying products with fibre and new formats to help people meet their 5-a-day requirements.

Health improvements

Howell Davies, sector and business engagement manager at Interface, said: “It was great to see the number of applications submitted and the wide array of activity and health improvements through fortification and reformulation being proposed. ​

“Scotland is blessed with its talent pool of academics applying their expertise to the food and drink sector and we look forward to hearing about the results of the collaborations later in the year.” ​

FDF Scotland’s Healthier Products Innovation Fund is one of a number of initiatives from the organisation supporting the reformulation of food and drink products to make them healthier.

Challenge fund

In January, the group completed the third round of its Reformul8 Challenge Fund​​, with 13 Scottish food and drink firms benefitting from the cash boost.

FDF Scotland Reformulation for Health manager Joanne Burns added: “Since the launch of our Reformulation for Health Programme in 2019 we have had the pleasure of providing funding directly to food producers to help them make their products healthier. ​

“We are delighted for the first time to provide funding that will support innovative reformulation projects between food and drink producers and academics. I was enthused to see the range of applications and look forward to seeing the results.”    ​

Meanwhile, UK food and drink manufacturers are set to benefit from £1bn in lending​​ to support investment in cleaner more efficient forms of energy generation and use.