The Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland and College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) have launched the guidance to help businesses produce pancakes which are lower in sugar and salt.

Forming part of the FSA’s Making Food Better programme, the move aims to contribute to a healthier food environment.

The focus on pancakes comes due to their popularity in Northern Ireland, (Mintel 2022, Bread and Baked Goods, Ireland), with the goal of reformulating this category and potentially reducing the intake of calories sugar and salt in the diet of consumers across the region.

“Through our Making Food Better programme, we have been working with the food industry to create healthier options, supporting businesses to reduce calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt in the food they produce, sell or serve,” said Daniel Sporule, FSA Senior Nutrition Policy Advisor, NI.

“Last year, in partnership with CAFRE, we launched guidance on ice cream reformulation which was very well received. Businesses embraced the opportunity to alter their recipes which enhanced consumer choice and promoted positive dietary changes.”

Having initially carrying out a sampling programme of pre-packed pancakes sold in retail outlets here, they determined portion sizes and nutritional composition.

With two pancake offerings available in terms of size: a standard pancake at 41g and a large pancake at 84g, the average sugar content for the pancakes sampled was 15.04g of sugar per 100g; while consumer analysis indicated that two 41g pancakes was considered to be a portion.

“We then considered the technical role of the ingredients, flour, raising agents, buttermilk, fats, salt, sugar and egg,” said Dr Emanuele Armaforte, Senior Technologist at CAFRE.

“Using a control recipe, we experimented with modifications and substituted ingredients to mimic the functionality of the original ingredients. We successfully created a new recipe with reduced sugar and salt content and taste tested it with consumers to make sure it met expectations – it was a winner!”

Reformulation support for food business owners is available via INVEST NI and CAFRE simply contact www.cafre.ac.uk/business-support/food/

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Robotics and automation in the agri-food industry could improve productivity, reduce waste, maximise safety and lower costs, Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has said.

The Minister made the remarks as he launched a research and development project between CAFRE and the Northern Ireland Technology Centre at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) to investigate the opportunities for robotics and automation in the NI Agri-food industry.

Launching the scheme, Minister Poots said: “Robotics and automation have progressed at a lightning speed in the last few decades and that momentum is sure to continue. Embedding robotics and automation into our food manufacturing and packaging processes brings so many advantages from increased precision, improved safety, reducing costs, minimising waste and maximising productivity.

“I am therefore pleased to launch a collaborative project between CAFRE and the Northern Ireland Technology Centre (NITC) at Queen’s University Belfast which aims to explore how our largest manufacturing sector can make the most of robotics and automation in their production lines.

Virtual modelling

“The project will use virtual modelling of food production processes in real time and help to raise awareness of this technology across the industry. The project will be based at CAFRE’s Loughry Campus and will draw on the expertise of NITC’s work with other manufacturing sectors.

“Importantly, the project will also see robotics and automation embedded into future CAFRE curriculum, ensuring our students are equipped for emerging opportunities in this area.”

The Minister concluded  “The last 100 years has seen technology advance at an incredible rate. In this centenary year for Northern Ireland, I am encouraged to see the local sector preparing for the next 100 years through this exciting development.”

Queen’s University Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Greer, commented: “This collaborative project between the Northern Ireland Technology Centre (NITC) and CAFRE is a shining example of the world leading research taking part at Queen’s and highlights the importance of the University’s links with industry.

Advanced manufacturing

“The NITC is part of the City Deal project Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), which reinforces the importance of partnership and scale. AMIC builds on 50 years of sustained innovation and industry support through the NITC, the Polymers Processing Research Centre and the more recent university-industry partnership, NI Advanced Composites and Engineering, and will consolidate and enhance these existing facilities.

“At Queen’s, we are focused on seizing opportunities where Northern Ireland has international strength and capability. Working closely with industry, we hope that our cutting-edge research and expertise robotics, automation and manufacturing will help transform food manufacturing and packaging processes and allow local companies to deliver growth and scale up.”

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Mr Chestnutt said, “We were delighted to have the Agriculture Minister out on our family farm earlier in the week. I have always been a supporter of incorporating environmental measures onto the farm business and encourage other farmers to do the same if and where they can. I am a member of my local Environmental Business Development Group facilitated by CAFRE and have taken advantage of the Small Woodland Grant Scheme, the Environmental Farming Scheme and the Farm Business Improvement Scheme. All of which have proved to be very beneficial for the environment, wildlife and biodiversity as well as the farm business – we’re very happy to see the return of the Irish hare on the farm.”

Running a beef and sheep enterprise with the help of wife Carol and with son David managing a dairy unit, livestock is at the core of the Chestnutt’s farm business, but like all NI farmers, they are eager to combat environmental challenges within the farming industry.

“We are very opened minded when it comes to introducing new systems and approaches onto the farm that will have a positive impact on the environment. To date, we have put in a range of measures to contribute to meeting these challenges, including solar panels, heat exchangers and low emission slurry spreading. These can all help to reduce costs, but other important measures such as planting trees, hedges and protecting water quality come at a price and farmers need to be adequately and flexibly supported to deliver these,” said Mr Chestnutt.

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Northern Ireland food and drink leaders have welcomed the announcement by Agriculture minister Edwin Poots MLA of a £75 million investment at CAFRE.

Michael Bell, Executive Director, Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) said “Northern Ireland food and drink is world leading in terms of innovation, quality, commercial success and sustainability, and our people have been key to earning and keeping that reputation. Many of our best people in roles across the food supply chain are CAFRE graduates, and this new investment from the Executive will see the campuses at Greenmount and Loughry continue to grow from strength to strength, further cementing Northern Ireland’s leading position in developing new talent within agri-food.

“A strong food and drink sector will be crucial to securing Northern Ireland’s economic recovery from the pandemic, and further investment into research and development in particular will future proof the industry in Northern Ireland, driving growth and ensuring we remain ahead of the curve.”

Both campuses at Loughry and Greenmount will undergo a significant refurbishment programme which will include new modern student accommodation and high-tech facilities to support student learning.

Announcing the refurbishment programme, Minister Poots said “This investment complements the recent launch of the BSc (Hons) Degrees in Sustainable Agriculture and Horticulture and the Higher Level Apprenticeships in Food and will ensure that CAFRE remains at the forefront of agri-food education across these islands.The plans for Loughry will also include a Science Centre which will be shared with food research staff in the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI). These top class facilities will be the centre of knowledge and innovation for the industry leaders and decision-makers of the future.

“CAFRE is well placed to deliver education, knowledge transfer and innovation programmes which will assist in the delivery of my Green Growth initiative. I also welcome the fact that the design and construction of the new buildings will be environmentally sustainable, enhancing the well-being of all who use, live and work in them.”

Welcoming the funding for the campus investments, Martin McKendry, College Director said, “Modern, well-designed facilities at Greenmount and Loughry Campuses are strategically important for recruitment onto our wide portfolio of courses. Planning for these projects has already commenced and construction will begin in late 2022/early 2023. The building work will have a phased approach to minimise disruption to the delivery of our programmes and we have a target completion date of 2028. I look forward to seeing the impact of this work as each stage of the project is completed.”

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Making the announcement that Vickerstock Recruitment will sponsor four students at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) to study for a Diploma in Packaging Technology, the Minister said it was time to rethink plastic in all packaging.

Unaccepable pollution

“It is unacceptable that far too much plastic ends up as pollution in our environment or waste in our landfills. It’s time to rethink how we produce plastic packaging and also how we can keep plastic in use for as long as possible by repeatedly recycling and reusing it,” said Minister Poots.

“I’ve very proud to say CAFRE is the only college on the island of Ireland that offers the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining Diploma in Packaging Technology which is internationally recognised as the premier qualification for packaging professionals. These future packaging technologists can play a very important role in developing the circular economy in Northern Ireland and encouraging the use of recycled material.

Plastic packaging tax

“We know that with the pending introduction of the Plastic Packaging Tax that demand for skilled packaging technologists is growing large packaging manufacturers are looking for more sustainable alternatives in their production. So it is very important that we equip these students with the latest knowledge and skills needed to help us use both less plastic and more sustainable forms of it,” Minister Poots added.

Vickerstock’s specialist recruiter Paul Muir said: “This partnership with CAFRE fits with the wider vision of our company to promote and encourage career opportunity and entry into one of Ireland’s most important sectors, we hope that this will provide another stepping stone in career development, future success of the students and benefits to the industry as a whole.”

The Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) comes into effect in Great Britain and Northern Ireland in April 2022. It applies to plastic packaging produced in, or imported into, the UK, but will not apply to any plastic packaging which contains at least 30% recycled plastic, or any packaging which is not predominantly plastic by waste.

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