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International research collaboration forges food links between Britain and Thailand

Posted 8 October

A major international collaboration linking the UK and Thailand has seen Thai food experts visiting SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ and key British businesses.

The ThaiBrit FoodBridge project focuses on sensory and consumer science facilitating  sustainable agri-food supply chains, and during its first phase has already seen training, testing and product development carried out in Thailand.

The second phase has recently been completed with an exchange visit to the UK  by Thai food experts.

Senior Lecturer in Food Science and Sensory Evaluation at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, Dr Wilatsana Posri, is UK lead for the project. She said: “This knowledge exchange project emphasises practical impact - bridging the gap between consumer expectation of sustainability from farm to fork.

“It connects academic, public, and private sectors across both countries, with Chiang Mai University as a key Thai partner.

“Harper Adams contributes its expertise in sensory science and its applications to creating innovative products - as well as in sustainable farming, offering training on food sensory quality testing and influencing consumer choice on environmentally certified food production.”

The project has been funded by the British Council’s International Research and Empowerment Programme and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) under the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF).

It encompasses knowledge exchange, training, and support for Thai food SMEs to innovate and expand their markets, applying Sensory and Consumer Science research to understand consumer’s motivations behind making sustainable food choices.

The first part of the project was based in Thailand and saw visits to producers such as Nithi Foods Ltd, Raming Tea and Co-Op Poultry farm to discuss their production systems, how they use techniques in their product development, and practical steps towards sustainable food production including the potential for eco-labelling on their products.

The project switched to Britain for its second phase, where key producers were once again at its heart. The Thai visitors met key players in the food industry in the Midlands at PDM and Pickstock’s factories and heard about their sustainability initiatives as well as discussing success and challenges in their new product development.

The project team also visited smaller Shropshire food producers such as Laura’s Delicious Ice cream, Ludlow Food Centre and Ludlow Distillery to appreciate micro and SME businesses in the UK compared with Thai SMEs.

The University partners also visited SAM, an international sensory research provider in Nottingham, where they discussed the possibilities of further food testing projects across the region. 

With Harper Adams boasting on-site sustainable food and farming initiatives through its Future Farm, and a range of key experts, a series of meetings were also held at the University - with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Lee, Interim Director of Harper Food Innovation Dr Lynn McIntyre, Reader in Animal Science and Bioinformatics Dr Stephen Mansbridge, and Senior Lecturer and Innovation Manager Dr Eric Siqueiros among others.

Dr Posri added: “The project aligns with Harper’s mission to advance sustainable food systems.

“It enhances the university’s role in bridging the gap between consumer and sustainable agriculture, training international food producers on sensory and consumer science, as well as life cycle assessment practice, promoting eating quality as a sustainability driver and strengthening global partnerships in agri-food innovation.”

The third and final phase of the project will seek to ensure lessons learned during the visits in the UK and Thailand are disseminated, and to expand sensory services to UK-Thai and South-East Asian food industries.