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8 April 2008

Food scientists' perfect recipe for business

Knowledge Transfer Partnership national award

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SCIENTISTS at MMU have found the perfect recipe for business success with a winning food firm.

Experts from the Department of Food and Tourism Management work closely with vegetarian firm Goodlife Foods on new products and processes, nutrition, marketing and hygiene standards.

Now, the collaboration is being held up as a model for knowledge transfer from a university to the food and drink sector.

A joint marketing strategy in 2007 for Goodlife’s new range of frozen meals produced a 40% increase in sales and helped products become regulars on the superstore shelves.

Knowledge transfer

The results have led to the collaboration being named in the best ten university-business link-ups at the annual Knowledge Transfer Partnership awards run by the Technology Strategy Board.

In a keynote speech at the awards ceremony, Jonathan Kestenbaum, chief executive of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, said that the UK would face a "very uncertain future" if businesses and universities did not work together on innovation.

Goodlife, founded in 1992 is a growing firm employing around 50 staff at its 'dedicated meat-free' Warrington plant and has a turnover of £5m. It has now completed three successful Knowledge Transfer Partnerships projects with MMU, all coordinated by Professor Paul Ainsworth, of MMU’s Department of Food and Tourism Management.

Professor Ainsworth said: "MMU has been working with Goodlife for the best part of a decade. We have worked on new product ranges and recipe developments, overseen the growth of the firm’s existing product range, as well as helped manage the redevelopment of packaging and labels."

Consumer-driven

Nick Hamlett, CEO of Goodlife Ltd said: "Our relationship with MMU has allowed the company to become more consumer-driven and target new markets and products.

"We now have a strategy in place that will develop new markets and increase brand awareness. MMU's expertise has been instrumental in growing our turnover and getting new products to market."

Research firm Mintel has estimated the UK market for meat-free foods will reach £780m by 2009. Between 5% and 7% of the UK population is estimated to be vegetarian.


For more information about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, visit MMU's Enterprise website www.red.mmu.ac.uk/?pageparent=5&page_id=5