Rotterdam Showcase For NI Food

A fresh shop window to Northern Ireland's food products was opened yesterday as Invest Northern Ireland showcased the commitment of local food companies to innovation.

Invest NI is one of the main sponsors of the 7th Annual World Food Technology and Innovation Forum, 2008, the leading global event dedicated to excellence in new product development and production. The two-day forum is organised by the World Trade Group in Rotterdam. A group of four local companies - Moy Park, Craigavon, Norbev, Ballymena, Gilfresh, Armagh, and TraceAssured, Craigavon - have also been assisted to take part in the event geared to top executives responsible for R&D, innovation, and marketing activities in the food sector.

Maynard Mawhinney, Invest NI's Food Director, commenting on the organisation's support for the forum, said: "Our support for this important event highlights the developing commitment of Northern Ireland food companies, both large and small, to innovation across the broadest range of business activities, from new product development to manufacturing processes.

"The forum covers many areas of interest to our companies including healthy eating trends, global buying behaviours, personalised nutrition, environmental issues and sustainability, energy efficiency, and opportunities for new products in sectors such as ingredients and markets such as Asia.

"A key focus of the conference is the creation of a world class lean manufacturing plant, implementing lean manufacturing principals and cost reduction throughout the process.

"These issues all have relevance for our companies. Knowledge gained through our sponsorship and participation will be made available across our client bank.

"It is essential that the food industry, our most important manufacturing sector and second biggest exporter, is kept abreast of international trends and developments. Food and drink in Northern Ireland is worth around £3 billion annually and is a major supplier of beef, poultry, dairy and bread products to Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, other parts of Europe, and increasingly to the US and Middle East.

"Almost 70% of food and drink products are now sold outside Northern Ireland," he continued, noting that "we want to ensure that Northern Ireland is seen globally as a source of innovative products in tune with market requirements".

"We are working closely with local food producers in the dairy, meat, drinks, ingredients and consumer foods sectors to enable them to strengthen their competitiveness, increase research and innovative capabilities, and access to international markets," he concluded.

The programme also includes networking opportunities for participating companies, prearranged meetings with senior tech's research facility in the Netherland's Food Valley, which is Europe's largest food grade facility conducting food research and pilot manufacturing.

(BMcC)