The new R&D engine for your business designed to give new ideas and wider opportunities to Food and Drink Companies.

The Functional Food Forum is the R&D engine for your business - designed to give new ideas and wider opportunities to Food and Drink Companies.

Our objective is to put UK food & drinks at the international forefront of developments in this fast-moving area of food innovation using the Yorkshire & Humber regions’ scientific expertise on functional foods. 

The Functional Foods Forum generates innovative ideas for functional food and drink ingredients, products and processes through the interaction of a multi-disciplinary group of academics. These ideas are then selected by, and further developed with, industry members. Attendance at the Functional Food Forum is restricted to member companies.  Companies joining the Forum will benefit from exclusive access to the functional food innovations evolved by the Forum’s academic members.  These will provide opportunities for accelerated company progression in this field.

Membership of the Forum
Membership of the Industry Group is open to all Food & Drink related companies*

Membership includes the following:

• An initial meeting with the Forum organisers, to discuss and scope the company’s interests and desires in functional foods; this will inform the direction of academic innovation.

• Industry Group members will receive confidential Functional Food Innovation Reports covering functional food innovation ideas.

• An invitation for up to 2 representatives to attend Forum meetings and the opportunity to get involved with other companies in the development of new products and processes for your business.

• Presentations and research from market research and intelligence organisations such as Mintel.

• Buffet and networking opportunities at each Forum meeting.

The opportunity to participate in an annual functional foods exploratory visit to areas of particular activity. Although the cost of the visit will be additional to membership fees, members will benefit from priority booking and reduced rates.

Benefits of Membership
• New business opportunities
• Rapid routes to market
• Increased margins
• Production of good healthier foods with something extra
• Greater R&D and innovation opportunities
• International business models including SE Asia and Scandinavia
• Succession planning
• Long term planning for your business

The Functional Foods Forum will consist of:

An Academic Group
A multi-disciplinary group, made up of scientists and researchers from a number of academic groups/institutions located throughout Yorkshire & Humber. The Group will meet monthly to generate and develop theoretical functional food innovation.

An Industry Group
Comprising Forum industrial member representatives from food, drink and allied industries. The Industry Group will meet every 4 months with the Academic Group for a full Forum meeting.

Modus Operandi
At each of the 3 full Functional Food Forum meetings per year, the Academic Group present their theoretical innovations to the Industry Group; any proposals selected by members of the Industry Group will be further developed through initial investigative practical work, the results of which will be reported back to interested Forum Members.  Any proposed innovations which are rejected by the Industry Group will then be offered to non-members by the Academic Group after an agreed period.

Cost of Membership
The cost of membership of the forum is £1,000 per annum.
The Forum has secured funding from Yorkshire Forward for a number of discounted places for the first year’s membership. To benefit from the discounted rate your company must have an address in the Yorkshire and Humber region.  Contact the Functional Food Forum for details of the discounts available.

How to join the Forum
If you are interested in joining the Functional Foods Forum and would like further information, please contact:

Dr Graham Clayton, Commercial Director, Food Chain CIC
T +44 (0) 113 343 7593

Sarah Knapper, Science and Innovation Director, Technology Division - The Regional Food Group for Yorkshire & Humber
T: +44 (0) 1937 830799

Dr Stephen Fitzpatrick, Strategic Cluster Champion Food & Drink, Yorkshire Forward
T +44 (0) 771 975 607

Email: FFF@FoodChainCIC.co.uk

Footnote
* Packaging, pharmaceutical and other food related companies are also encouraged to be members of the Forum