Program Overview

Introduction to the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation

The Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation (SCFDI) at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, is a leading expert in food science and technology. The team collaborates with food and drink businesses to turn concept ideas into commercial success through practical, real-world solutions.

Services and Expertise

The SCFDI team offers expertise in:

• Food and Drink Product Development: developing products across food and drink categories, including bringing concept ideas to product prototypes, developing new products, reformulating products for nutrition, sustainability, or cost targets, extending product shelf-life, advising on food labeling, assessing nutritional value, and advising on manufacturing scale-up.
• Consumer and Sensory Testing: providing food and drink businesses with the opportunity to taste test their products with target consumers, including home use tests, commercial environment tests, and tests in a purpose-built sensory suite.

THRIVE Entrepreneurial Training Programme

The THRIVE programme is an industry-specific training programme aimed at current and future food and drink entrepreneurs. The programme covers essential business skills and food product development knowledge to support a new business idea, whether it is a food product or service. Delivered by industry experts at SAC Consulting/SRUC and the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation/QMU, the programme includes:

• Food & Drink Legislation & Labelling: a two-part online training programme designed for entrepreneurs and professionals, covering front and back-of-pack labeling requirements, ingredient declarations, nutrition information, food safety legislation, allergen management, health claims, and novel foods.
• Food & Drink Manufacturing for SMEs: a two-part online training series designed to empower food and drink entrepreneurs with the knowledge to confidently navigate manufacturing options, including key considerations for setting up manufacturing, insights from Environmental Health Officers, and how to approach and evaluate co-manufacturers.
• Food & Drink Packaging for SMEs: a focused online session designed to help small businesses make informed packaging decisions that support product success and sustainability, including insights into packaging materials and formats, guidance on sustainability and compliance, and tips for balancing cost, shelf life, and branding.

Research Areas

The focus of the SCFDI's food and drink research is predominantly on health and sustainability, providing impactful and relevant research for food and drink manufacturers. This includes investigating and developing new innovative ingredients for the food and drink industry, such as:

• PALM-ALT project (Novel palm shortening substitute)
• SOY-SUST project (Novel salt-reducing agent)
• Mycoprotein project (Novel fat-reducing agent)

Doctoral Study in Dietetics, Nutrition, and Biological Sciences

The Division of Dietetics, Nutrition, Biological Sciences, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, and Radiography (DNBSPPR) at QMU offers a focused range of courses in dietetics, with extensive knowledge and skills in allied health professional education, as well as in public health, community, and voluntary sectors.