Pictured: Jay Rayner
Food critic Jay Rayner has been unveiled as the speaker for this
year's Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) Innovation
Awards.
The journalist, broadcaster and TV presenter, who is perhaps
best known for his Observer food column, will be the guest speaker
at the event in November.
Being held for the fourth year, the Innovation Awards aim to
reward some of the most exciting innovations in the East Midlands
food and drink industry.
Previous winners have included the development of a new material
for food and drink packaging that featured non-leaching and
antimicrobial properties, the invention of modified salt crystals
to create a more intense flavour from less salt and thus allow a
reduction in salt used in manufacturing, and the development of a
sweet-tasting broccoli.
Now the hunt has just begun across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire,
Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland for
entries to the 2011 awards.
The Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards have three categories
open to firms, organisations and individuals working across the
food and drink sector. They are - Most Innovative Food and Drink
Business, Most Innovative Business Supplying into the Food and
Drink Sector and Most Innovative Research Project.
The Campden BRI Innovation Champion 2011 will be chosen from the
winner of the three categories.
"We are delighted to have secured Jay Rayner as our guest
speaker at the 2011 Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards, " said
Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall. "Jay regularly pops
up on Masterchef, is on the daytime cookery show Eating with the
Enemy and sits on the panel of judges for American show Top Chef
Masters.
"I am sure he will be a very interesting and insightful after
dinner speaker at our event."
It has also been announced that this year's awards ceremony will
take place on November 17th at Nottingham Conference Centre, Burton
Street, Nottingham.
Last year's ceremony attracted guests from across the sector -
representing manufacturers, distributors, retailers and those
involved in teaching, research and development in the food and
drink industry.
Forms to enter the Innovation Awards are available to download
from the iNet section of the Food and Drink Forum website
www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk.
"We have had some exciting innovations and inventions put
forward for the awards in previous years, and are looking forward
to hearing details about the latest developments," added Richard
Worrall.
Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet
co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and
individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East
Midlands. One of four iNets, it has developed an effective network
to encourage the collaboration of academic expertise and knowledge,
and local food and drink business innovation needs.
It aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and
drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to
develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and
implement new products, markets, services and processes.
The Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by The
Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday,
Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the
University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park,
Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.