Teagasc pushes Ireland towards greater food innovation
basis, as Teagasc today announces that it is explaning its food
research programme in anticipation of future challenges - with a
specific emphasis on functional foods.
The food industry is Ireland's largest indigenous industry, employing over 40,000 people and encompassing more than 700 companies. The most recently available figures (2002) set annual output at over €16 bn, with exports of €6.7 bn.
With a worldwide shift towards healthier eating, one the fastest growing areas is, without a doubt, functional foods - and Ireland has shown itself to be far from unaware of the potential in this area.
In December 2004 the National Functional Foods Forum was set up in Ireland to pool industry and scientific resources and drive the sector forward. At the time, sales for the sector were approximately €100 million. The forum set out to increase this to more than €250 million in five years.
According to Datamonitor, the Western European functional foods market was worth €4 billion at retail in 2004, and the US market $19 billion (€16.2).
Today's announcement was made at an industry communications day at Moorepark Food Research Centre in County Cork, one of Teagasc's (the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority) two research centres. "Some companies already have the capacity to compete globally, but they must be able to match international competition in innovation performance in the future, said Dr Liam Donnelly, director of food research in explaining the reasoning behind the programme's expansion.
The precise amount of the funding is not yet set in stone but is likely to be in the region of €15 to €20 m and to come from a number of strands as the organisation reallocates resources. One strand will be the disposal of surplus land assets.
Moorpark benefited from expansion last year, and spokesperson Eric Donald told NutraIngredients.com that further expansion, which may include the contruction of a laboratory, is expected but the timeline has not yet been determined.
Donnelley said: "Discovery and validation of health promoting food constituents requires front edge science that delves deeply into fundamental aspects of biological research."
Although R&D capabilities of Ireland's leading food companies are certainly up to global standards, Donnelly pointed out that their research tends to be more applied.
"A combination of public and industrial research, working in partnership, is needed so that true innovation in functional foods can be accomplished."
Specific target areas within functional foods development will be gut health and metabolic syndrome. By laying down the science platform for discovery and clinical validation of ingredients, the programme aims to pave the way for product innovation by food companies, and create intellectual property for them to exloit.
Donald explained that there is a separate subsidiary at Morepark called Norepark Technology Ltd, which functions as a stepping stone to commercial production and where companies can go to take the research further.
"We have a history of the industry working closely with Teagasc staff," he said. Moreover, once Teagasc outlines the direction of its research it is open to feedback from industry, and that feedback is valuble in helping to inform future areas for work.
Teagasc will be collaborating closely with Irish universities, and indeed a Science Foundation Ireland-funced research programme with University College Cork already exists. Donnelly also said that Teagasc is seeking to tap expertise from overseas research institution - although that is not to say there is a shortage of qualified individuals in Ireland.
Existing research staff hail from a number of countries, since some areas are very specialist and there may be a limited number of people in the world who have the right skillset. Moreover a lot of Irish graduates chose to complete their studies abroad, and the programme could provide them with employment opportunities at home.
