Thirty two major collaborative food processing and manufacturing development projects have received more than £11m worth of funding from the UK government, a development which aims to secure the country's future as a food technology leader.
Additional investment by the participating companies takes the total value of the projects to more than £23m.
Factors such as increasing costs and stringent regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and waste have a significant impact on the UK's food manufacturing and processing sector.
The new projects are expected to result in more efficient food processing, packaging and distribution in the retail and food service segments, as well as more efficient recycling of manufacturing by-products and waste.
The projects aim to develop several new technologies and processes such as those that can boost efficiency and lower waste in the beef supply chain; increase bread manufacturing efficiency and sustainability; and establish more energy-efficient air distribution systems for cooling food factories.
Food and Farming Minister David Heath said that investment in research and technology offers long-term benefits and this funding positions the UK at the forefront of technology innovation.
"In an increasingly hungry world these new technologies and manufacturing techniques will help the UK's food processing sector use fewer natural resources and be more efficient," Heath added.
The projects are led by major companies such as ABP Food, Arla Foods, Bakkavor Foods, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods UK R&D, Nestlé, PepsiCo international, Sainsburys Supermarkets, and Warburtons, among others.
They are being funded by the UK's innovation agency Technology Strategy Board, Defra, the Scottish Government, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Technology Strategy Board chief executive Iain Gray said that the UK food and drink manufacturing sector has annual revenues of £75m, and can help fuel the growth of the economy.
"This new funding provides the opportunity for UK businesses to develop technologies and innovative systems that will deliver advances throughout the food and drink chain, as well as create opportunities for the export of goods and services to the global market," Gray added.
