A student team with a bold vision for the future of Sustainable Food Innovation has been named winner of the 2025 Ecotrophelia UK competition. Oat ‘N About took home the top prize after impressing an expert panel of judges with their eco-innovative product at the live final. This year’s final was hosted at Mondelēz International’s iconic Bournville site - home of Cadbury chocolate.
Now in its 13th year, Ecotrophelia UK challenges student teams to develop an environmentally sustainable food or drink product from concept to market-ready prototype. This year’s final, held on 25 June 2025, brought together seven finalist teams from universities across the UK for a pitch event judged by leading figures in the Food and Drink Industry.
Oat ‘N About stood out for their creative concept, technical excellence, and market potential. As UK champions, they will now represent the UK at the prestigious Ecotrophelia Europe final, taking place at Anuga in Cologne this October.
“Ecotrophelia UK continues to deliver an incredible showcase of the UK’s next generation of talent in Food Innovation,” said Ian Noble, VP R&D at Mondelēz International. “The creativity, passion and professionalism displayed by these students are truly inspiring, and it’s clear that the future of Sustainable Food is in safe hands. We’re proud to have hosted the final at our Bournville site - a place synonymous with Food innovation and legacy.”
Craig Leadley, Chief Executive of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), added: “The standard this year has been exceptionally high, with all teams showing impressive commitment to sustainability, consumer insight, and technical development. Congratulations to Oat ‘N About on a well-deserved win, and we look forward to supporting them as they prepare to take the UK to the European stage. There is an urgent need to address the critical issue of the skills gap in the Food Industry; competitions like Ecotrophelia go a long way to showcase the range of careers available in this exciting field.”
Bertrand Emond, Membership Ambassador, Professional Development and Culture Excellence Lead at Campden BRI, said: “In 2025, the Food Industry continues to face fundamental challenges: from reducing our environmental impact and improving supply chain resilience, to feeding a growing global population amidst climate uncertainty. At the same time, we must innovate to reformulate and create products that support health and wellbeing, while doing more with less as pressure on resources intensifies.”
Also celebrating success on the day were GreenScoop from the University of Reading, who earned the silver medal, and Rescue Nest from the University of Nottingham, who took bronze. Both teams demonstrated outstanding innovation and professionalism and were commended by the judges for the strength of their ideas and execution.
The winner of the Food Safety Award sponsored by Unilever was Oat ‘N About, also overall winners, who demonstrated great knowledge and understanding in producing a safe product.
The winning team will receive a £2,000 cash prize, one-year free membership to IFST, and mentorship from the judges to help refine their product and pitch ahead of the European competition.
The 2025 UK finalists were:
- Favafu – University of Surrey
- GreenScoop – University of Reading
- NØM – University of Nottingham
- Oat 'n About – University of Leeds
- Peelzy – London Metropolitan University
- Rescue Nests – University of Nottingham
- SustainaBalls – University of Leeds
Since launching in 2013, Ecotrophelia UK has involved more than 600 students from 24 universities and served as a springboard for innovation and talent across the Food Sector.
The UK heat of Ecotrophelia was organised by the UK food and drink research organisation, Campden BRI, in collaboration with the Institute of Food Science and Technology, the UK’s leading professional body for those involved in all aspects of food science and technology.
Find out more about Ecotrophelia here: https://www.ifst.org/ecotrophelia