On June 2, 2023, the Healthier Products Innovation Fund for Scotland (HPIF) announced that it will provide £75,000 in funding to eight innovative collaborations between Scottish universities and food and drink companies. The purpose of this fund is to support food and drink companies in developing and producing healthier products that will contribute to the Scottish Food and Drink Recovery Plan.
Interface and Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland’s Reformulation for Health Programme created the Healthier Products Innovation Fund for Scotland. The fund provides direct funding for food and drink businesses to help them make their products healthier. Joanne Burns, FDF Scotland’s reformulation for health manager, expressed delight in the diverse range of applications submitted for funding. She also looks forward to the results of these exciting projects.
Howell Davies, sector and business engagement manager at Interface, was enthusiastic about the range of activity proposed in the applications. He noted that Scotland is fortunate to have a variety of academics in the food and drink sector who are applying their expertise to tackling public health challenges through reformulation projects.
The funded projects include addressing public health challenges such as fortifying products with fibre and new formats to help people meet their 5-a-day requirements. Other projects are focused on improving bakery products and ready meals that are high in fats, sugars and salts. The following eight collaborations were awarded HPIF funding:
– BiaGo Ltd, Falkirk (Drinks)
– MacLean Highland Bakery, Forres (Bakery)
– Matugga Distillers, Livingston (Drinks)
– Stewarts (Scotland) Ltd, Perth (Bakery)
– Strathmore Foods, Forfar (Ready Meals)
– Sutherlands of Portsoy, Portsoy (Fish Processor)
– That’s Done Ltd, Forth Valley (Ready Meals)
– Prozymi Biolabs Ltd, Edinburgh (Biotech)
Congratulations to all the recipients of HPIF funding, and we look forward to hearing more about the results of these collaborations later in the year.