On 14 June the IFST Midlands Branch visited the Healy Group, an ingredients supplier and product development suite. Participants watched a fascinating talk on starch in all its forms and functionalities, as well as the properties and functionality that these starches bring to a mind-boggling array of food products from soups and sauces to snack products and bakery items, as well as a taste of the "love it or hate it" vegan cheese!
Paul Sheldrake FIFST, technical director at Healy Group, kindly invited the Midlands group to visit and experience the impressive product development facilities at the company and provided an in-depth understanding of the technical challenges in selecting the right starch to deliver desired product characteristics and some of the pitfalls in not understanding all the requirements that a product is going to fulfil as part of its production and consumption journey.
Around 25 IFST members and non-members gathered to hear from Paul, who also discussed his experiences this year in mentoring the successful University of Nottingham Team PlanEat who were the UK winners of the Ecotrophelia final and will be representing the UK at the Anuga-based final in Cologne this October.
IFST is always keen to hear from branches who are looking to run events and visits to businesses and organisations in their area. These visits provide a splendid opportunity for technical updates, as well as the opportunity to make and renew connections amongst the food science community.
Keep an eye on the IFST events page for upcoming events or contact our membership engagement officer, Crystal Kerr, if you are interested in running an IFST branch event at membership@ifst.org.