 Loughry Campus students turn up the heat at food product development competition  |
Loughry Campus students turn up the heat at food product development competition
02 July 2009 National Diploma Food Technology and Food Nutrition & Health students at Loughry Campus, CAFRE, recently completed Avondale Food’s New Product Development Challenge. The students worked in groups to create a range of added value vegetable products for Avondale Foods Ltd, Craigavon, developing their product concept from kitchen scale to pilot scale before showcasing their final product to the judging panel. This year Diane Christie, Avondale Foods, Head of Product Development, Gemma Rankin, Avondale Foods Process Engineer and Peter Simpson, Loughry Campus, Course Manager were tasked with awarding the Samuel Geddis Perpetual Cup to the winning team. The winning product, savoury mushrooms with an appetising bacon and cheese filling, could compete with any recent food innovations. It not only impressed the judging panel for its unique taste and flavour but also for the application of the group’s newly developed food technology skills. Lettuce and basil soup took a deserving second place – what a good choice for this summer season! Following in the summer season theme, third place was awarded to a chicken and rice side salad product with a lime and lemon dressing. Diane told the group “I am extremely impressed with the standard of these products and had great difficulty in choosing an overall winner. It is essential that practical application is an integral part of any food course and this competition demonstrates Loughry’s commitment to meeting our industry’s needs”. Derek McDowell, Head of Food Technology Education acknowledged the sponsorship and commitment shown by Avondale Foods saying “The involvement of Avondale Foods in this aspect of the National Diploma course provides an added dimension and gives the students an insight into the operation of a product development team in a successful food company”. If you are interested in finding out more about the wide range of courses on offer at Loughry Campus and would like a career in an exciting and challenging industry, with graduates starting salaries of up to £22,000, please contact us on Freephone 0800 0284291, or call in to our open evening on Thursday 27 August 2009 3.00 – 8.00 pm. Roisin Lagan and Donna LyonsLoughry Campus, College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) |
