Allott & Associates will be joining forces with Food Chain CIC, part of Leeds University, to work with food companies to produce innovative new products or improve on existing ones.
Marketing is currently at the forefront of European legislation, as the Commission is in the throes of implementing the health claims regulation. Under regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, which came into force in the UK from 1 July 2007, any food product claiming to have a health benefit must meet a list of European Commission-approved wording and be supported by scientific evidence.
Although the regulation came into force this month in the UK, the European Commission is not expected to agree a list of approved literature until 2010. The scope of the changes will not just affect food packaging, but any content including websites associated with the food.
Philip Allott, managing director of Allott & Associates, said the health claims regulations will not be one of the firm's core aspects. He said: "That would be a spin off rather than a core area as the legislation is constantly evolving. It is in a fluid state."
The Food Chain CIC's facility includes research laboratories, and pilot plant production, to help develop innovative functional food ingredients.
Allott & Associates will offer advice on marketing and public relations to help promote the product.
Fortified and functional foods are one of the fastest growing trends of the 21st century. Massive growth has been seen in most food sectors through adding functionality, one such example is the global functional dairy drinks market was predicted to see 1,600m litres consumed reach €6,250m in value, according to Zenith International. This is an improvement on last year's 999m litres consumed at a value of €3,4m
Food Chain CIC's Commercial Director, Dr Graham Clayton, said: "Consumers are looking for healthier options. Working with Allott & Associates provides our projects with a synergy and means our clients can benefit not only from research, but also from the marketing support afterwards necessary to generate new sales.
"They will be offered a choice of projects being handled by either Allott & Associates or the CIC, enabling clients to have one project manager providing a seamless service."
