20 October 2016 Press Release
UK student team scoops the bronze prize at European innovation competition
A team from Nottingham Trent University has been awarded the bronze prize at the European final of Ecotrophelia for their sustainable and indulgent non-dairy alternative to traditional ice cream, which is made using algal protein. The team was presented with an award and a cheque for €2,000 at SIAL in Paris.
Their winning product - Från Början - was the brainchild of Ryan Clifford and Dominic Urban, who were both food industry degree apprentices and graduated this year from Nottingham Trent University. They were competing against 15 national teams from across Europe at SIAL, the world's largest food innovation exhibition, in Paris. The teams pitched their ideas to a panel of 20 judges, which was chaired by Ariane Andres, Head of Academic Alliances, Nestlé Research Center.
Ecotrophelia is a pan-European competition which gives students a taste of new product development. From idea generation through to the final packaged product, the teams get a hands-on experience of what it takes to bring an eco-friendly food or drink product to market.
The Nottingham Trent duo previously won gold in June at the UK finals of Ecotrophelia UK, which is organised by Campden BRI in conjunction with the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) and sponsored by Marks & Spencer, Innovate UK, Coca-Cola, Sainsbury's, PepsiCo, Tesco, Mondelez, Warburtons, Food Matters Live and BBSRC.
Bertrand Emond, Head of Training at Campden BRI said, "We are thrilled for Ryan and Dominic. We brought the Ecotrophelia competition to the UK just three years ago and are delighted that a UK team has already had success at the European finals. A record nineteen teams from across the UK entered the competition this year and the standard was exceptionally high, which is reflected in the bronze win at the European finals. A huge thanks to all the sponsors of the UK competition for their continued support."