£15m grant fund offer for ideas to help boost food manufacturing

The Government has announced a multi-million pound new grant fund to help bolster the food industry.

Defra has revealed it is to make £15m available to anyone who can “come up with ways to transform food manufacturing and reduce waste”.

The money, a spokesman said, is part of a Government-backed drive to support research and development that “unlocks the huge potential of the UK’s farming, food and drink sector”.

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Farming Minister Jim Paice said: “The UK has a world class reputation for innovation. I want to take this strength and use it to the economic advantage of the whole country.

“By getting businesses innovating and enhancing the UK’s reputation as a world-class pioneer of new production and manufacturing techniques, the food and farming sector can be a real engine for growth.”

Two competitions will be launched at today’s Farming, Food and Drink Innovation Summit.

The bulk of the £15m will be on offer to bigger businesses to invest in projects that will increase the efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness of food processing and manufacturing.

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A further £500,000 will also be available to small and medium sized businesses, with grants of up to £25,000.

Previous recipients of this type of award include a team at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, which used ultrasound to improve the quality and nutritional value of bread and cakes while making production more energy efficient.

There will be a series of seven regional workshops to promote the competitions, one of which will take place in Leeds on March 27.