Appetizing Innovation gives Dalepak valuable insight

For a major Yorkshire based food company keen to take advantage of new market opportunities Appetizing Innovation was the perfect partner for a thorough and unbiased assessment of its new range. Dalepak Foods engaged the Yorkshire Forward funded organisation earlier this year to assess its recipe formulation for a planned meat- substitute range aimed at the growing market for healthier food options. The strength of Appetizing Innovation's experience and unrivalled knowledge of the food industry guaranteed the Northern Foods subsidiary a clear analysis of their product and practical recommendations on further developments.

Dalepak, renowned for its popular range of burgers, grills and steaks, needed an outside assessment of the vegetable-based recipe it was considering and an assurance that it would not compromise the company's reputation for great-tasting products. Appetizing Innovation brings together leading product experts to support companies in their efforts to meet the demands of consumer and retailers - bringing their knowledge to the factory floor and translating it into workable, targeted solutions to meet the specific needs of individual companies.

Following an initial assessment, Appetizing Innovation consortium member Sheffield Hallam University puts its panel of product and taste experts to work over two months on a series of stringent tests to assess the product's texture, taste and sensory attributes. Dalepak was determined that its meat substitute would get as close to a real meat experience as possible to rival the well-known brand of one of its main competitors.

Sheffield Hallam's team developed a serious of product attribute profiles for real meat and measured how close the meat alternative was against each attribute. This process enabled Sheffield Hallam to recommend the attribute requiring further development and those that were as good as real meat. From this analysis Dalepak learned valuable information on how its appearance, texture and taste compared with premium lean meat and where to concentrate its efforts in developing the product.

A Dalepak spokesman said that Appetizing Innovation had been very responsive to its needs and that the exercise had proved extremely useful. Appetizing Innovation innovation consultant John Stanford said "By breaking down the real meat experience we are able to identify the product attributes that were really important and so direct Dalepak's efforts for future R & D."

The Appetizing Innovation project, led by Food Processing Faraday, brings together a consortium of leading product and packaging experts to support companies in their efforts to remain competitive and succeed in today's challenging economic climate. Working alongside the Faraday in the consortium are Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Food Innovation, Leeds Metropolitan University, the Regional Food Group and Design Futures - an award winning packaging innovation consultancy.