Awards celebrate industry stars
The recent Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Awards 2018 brought together over 500 guests to celebrate the food and drink manufacturing industry’s contribution to the UK. Jay Rayner, celebrity restaurant critic and food journalist for The Observer, hosted the event, which also recognised the first graduates from the MEng Food Engineering degree at Sheffield Hallam University.
Developed by the Food and Drink Federation, the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink, and Sheffield Hallam University, the course is the first accredited engineering degree at Master’s level entirely dedicated to the needs of the food and drink manufacturing industry.
Sophie Paveling, electrical and mechanical engineering apprentice at Coca-Cola European Partners, was named Apprentice of the Year for making a‘noticeable impact within the business, driven by her proactive attitude to taking on responsibility and new tasks to further develop her professional skill-set’.
Brand Launch of the Year went to the Birds Eye Relaunch 2017, which focused on its core platforms such as Captain Birds Eye, garden peas and chicken, and included brand investment, packaging redesign, product quality improvements, new campaigns and a transformation of media support.
Chris Quarmby, Control Systems Specialist at Lincoln Manufacturing, PepsiCo, was named Food and Drink Engineer of the Year. He has been involved with and led numerous successful projects, receiving praise and recognition for his work from colleagues and through various company-wide award schemes.
And Food and Drink Scientist of the Year went to Simon Flanagan, research principal at RSSL, who leads the Food Safety and Quality Division and provides specialist advice on allergen risk assessment and management, the largest single cause of product recalls globally.
“Warm congratulations to each of the winners of FDF Awards,” said Ian Wright CBE, chief executive, Food and Drink Federation.“Our wonderful dynamic industry dictates that every category is closely fought. So while winning is a significant achievement, every entrant should be proud of their contribution to UK food and drink. We must all hope that the challenges we face in the months to come do not undermine the value UK food and drink delivers.”
