Scientist conducting analysis using a pipette in laboratory

Industry needs

Welcome to Campden BRI’s industry needs information pages. These pages are dedicated to sharing the needs of the food and drink industries. The information here is taken from discussions with our Members at our Member Interest Group meetings as well as conversations we have with government, institutes and wider industry.

Please watch the video and click on the word clouds to find out more. You may also be interested in our research clubs.

Industry drivers

Safety

Food safety is always a priority. Current needs are centered around the traditional areas of contamination prevention, formulation, shelf-life and processing. New requirements now encompass more virology, as well as the impact of changing consumer preference and the drive to produce a more sustainable product.

Quality

Producing and selling good quality foods to the consumer is a constant challenge that requires the whole production and supply chain to work properly for each product. The cardinal needs around food quality are to ensure good ingredients are processed, packaged and stored to present the consumer with an appetising experience. Existing challenges to food quality, such as extension of shelf life, will encourage novel, sustainable, solutions.

Nutrition and health

Preserving the nutritional quality of products has always been a food industry priority. As consumers become more aware of the impact of their nutrition on health, the food and drink industry must respond to highlight the health benefits of existing products, and develop new products that match new advances in knowledge such as the influence of microbiome on health. Coupled to this, there is also pressure to reformulate existing products to improve health.

Sustainability

Sustainability does not just include reductions in waste and carbon footprint. Sustainability encompasses the whole of a business to ensure that they, their suppliers and their customers can work together to maintain a resilient food production system. This will include increased use of concepts such as circular economy, as well as appreciation of the impact of external forces beyond the control of one company.

Skills and knowledge

A skilled, knowledgeable workforce is essential to deliver safe, good quality nutritious food in a sustainable manner. The food industry faces many challenges such as a shortage of skilled operatives, and increasingly fewer people with visibility of the wider industry and its relationship with regulatory bodies. Better communication within industry and between industry and external stakeholders will help to resolve these issues.

Topics for discussion

What have our Members been talking about, and where have these discussions happened? Our Member Interest Groups (MIGs) provide the perfect forum to discuss hot topics. We use these discussions to update the Industry Needs information on these pages. The information presented here shows which MIGs have been discussing which drivers. If you are not part of the conversation, please join a MIG and share your thoughts.