In a move towards sustainable innovation in plant-based food production, Growing Kent & Medway has awarded vouchers worth £320,000 to 13 businesses to collaborate with researchers.
These vouchers will support a variety of projects aimed at enhancing plant-based food products, from improving temperature resilience in plant-based ice cream to exploring new processing techniques for plant-based milks.
The Business Innovation Vouchers provide organizations with the opportunity to leverage the expertise of technical specialists from research institutes in Kent and Medway. Applicants were required to present an innovative idea to enhance the sustainability of their products, processes, or production. The competition was open to businesses within the horticulture and plant-based food and drink industries.
Among the winning projects are initiatives such as testing health claims for mushroom-based health products, finding sustainable materials for fresh produce packaging, and developing techniques for producing non-alcoholic wines.
Director of Growing Kent & Medway, Dr. Nikki Harrison, commented, “The funded projects showcase innovative solutions to challenges within the plant-based food supply chain.”
Osama Rashed from Mochi Bros, a recipient of the vouchers, stated, “The Business Innovation Voucher will support our research in creating commercially viable clean-label mochi. This funding enables us to address stability and shelf life issues with the help of the Medway Food Innovation Centre.”
Each of the 13 businesses received vouchers ranging from £15,000 to £30,000 for projects lasting up to 12 months, in collaboration with NIAB, University of Kent, or University of Greenwich.
For a full list of successful projects, visit growingkentandmedway.com/news/business-innovation-voucher-winning-projects-2024/
