11 Kent-based food and drink businesses get share of £154,000 vouchers for research

Over £154,000 of funding has been awarded by Growing Kent & Medway to 11 local fresh produce, food and drink businesses for investment in research projects addressing sustainability.

From reducing plastic in fruit punnets, cutting energy use in food processing, to extracting plant proteins from seaweed, the wide-ranging projects each showed innovative approaches to overcoming sustainability challenges.

The businesses also had to demonstrate how their research would have a positive economic or social impact on their local region.

Vouchers worth up to £15,000 were issued to each business to provide access to the technical expertise and testing facilities at three cutting-edge research centres recently opened in Kent and Medway.

The diverse group of local winning businesses include fruit growers, packaging suppliers, food processors, ag-tech pioneers, and start-ups working with alternative proteins.

Dr Nikki Harrison, Programme Director for Growing Kent & Medway said: “Our voucher scheme is a great way for businesses to work with leading research organisations for the first time. We hope they will lead to further collaborations in the future.

“We were impressed with the innovative ideas submitted, which all have the potential to help make horticultural and food and drink production in the UK more sustainable.”

Each of the projects will address a specific challenge within the following areas;

• Energy use
• Sustainable packaging
• Reducing food waste
• Water
• Alternative proteins
• Sustainable crop production

Siobhan Parks, New Business and Product Development Manager at Sharpak Aylesham Ltd, said: “We applied for a voucher to receive technical research support from the University of Kent for a new packaging technology for raspberries. We’re testing whether a recyclable novel punnet will extend the shelf-life of raspberries, compared to punnets containing the standard soaker pads currently on the market.

“If successful, it will offer a viable alternative to retailers looking to meet their Plastic Pact UK pledges, help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving the circular economy of plastics, and simultaneously reducing food waste.”

Ag-tech company Verdant Carbon in Ashford, secured a grant to better understand the link between soil health and carbon capture in different farming situations. Co-founder Frank Gollins said: “Soil microbiology has a pivotal role in determining the viability of agricultural soils, both for farming and as an agro-ecological tool; despite this it remains poorly understood.

“This grant will hopefully form a first step for further partnerships, exploring the role of a vital, yet often overlooked farm resource.”

The vouchers are designed to help businesses access research to test new prototype products, trial new technology or get data to validate an idea. Businesses across the horticultural and plant-based food and drink supply chain in the local region were able to apply.

Further details about the winning projects can be found at growingkentandmedway.com/news.

New grant opportunities, as well as a second round of Business Innovation Voucher funding, will be made available by Growing Kent & Medway later in 2023.