Developing new foods at Loughry

Food students at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), recently partnered with Avondale Foods to create novel food products. The Level 3 Loughry Campus Food students were challenged to develop a product with commercial viability as part of their second-year studies.

Addressing the product development briefs which focussed on consumer health, convenience and seasonal ingredients, the students started to research food ideas. Consideration had to be given to ingredients, nutritional content, pricing and marketing of the products, whilst also making sure that products were going to tickle the taste buds of the intended consumers.

It was soon time for the work to begin in transforming these concepts from ideas on paper through to production. Using the food product development test kitchens and sensory analysis facilities at Loughry Campus, their imagination took over. During the semester, the student teams developed their creativity in the kitchens, calculated costings, and prepared sample dishes.

On speaking about the Avondale Challenge, Judith Oliver, (CAFRE Lecturer) commented: “In addition to developing a novel food product the student teams needed to align their ideas to industry demands. Through the process I heard industry buzzwords including sustainability, carbon footprint, minimal plastics, and allergens being frequently discussed.”

The grand finale was the presentation of their products to Avondale Foods. Judging took place at Loughry Campus, with technical experts from Avondale assessing each of the teams’ products created. Andrew Richardson (Senior Development Chef) and Naomi Cochrane (NPD Analyst) represented Avondale Foods. The judges sampled the products and assessed the student presentations which gave an overview of their product and development process.

After careful deliberation, the winners of the 2024 Avondale Challenge were decided as the team consisting of Alix Dalzell, Shara O’Boyle and Samanta Sviderskis. Their team’s brief was to develop a vegetable-based side dish with consideration for the use of local seasonal ingredients A tasty crispy smashed potato topped with roasted mixed vegetables won the challenge.

Remarking on the winning product S’Mash, Avondale Foods, said “Congratulations. Your product matched exactly what the product development brief had asked for. It offered a fantastic combination of flavours and textures that made for a great eating experience.”

The team was presented with a generous cash prize from Avondale Foods and were presented with the Samuel Geddis Perpetual Trophy at their Awards Ceremony in June.

If a career in the food industry interests you, Level 3 Extended Diploma in Food courses offer an excellent alternative to A-Levels. They provide students with the opportunity to progress on to Higher Education courses or enter employment within the Agri-Food sector.

For course information, visit the CAFRE website. Applications are still be accepted for courses starting in September.

Notes to editors: 

1. Photo cpation - Loughry Campus Level 3 students winning group of the Avondale Challenge pictured with judges Naomi Cochrane (Avondale Foods), Fintan McCann (Head of Food Education, CAFRE), Samanta Sviderskis (Coalisland), Shara O’Boyle (Coagh), Alix Dalzell (Magheramason), Andrew Richardson (Avondale Foods).
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