The conference will hear from a range of industry experts, including representatives from companies such as PepsiCo and Siemens and Molson Coors.

The two day event will include sessions addressing food manufacturing issues and challenges including reducing the impact of food waste, manufacturing for healthy lifestyles and, healthier meat products for the future.

There will also be talks on some of the technological advances being made in food manufacturing.

SMART at Loughborough is one of the three founding academic partners of the Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Food (Food-CIM) alongside the University of Nottingham and theUniversity of Birmingham. The Food-CIM is founded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Professor Shahin Rahimifard, the Director of Centre for SMART, said  “changes in demand and dietary behaviours, and loss of arable land linked to climate change urgently demands a need to change the way we grow, manufacture and consume our food products. This conference will showcase strategies, technologies and tools for increasing productivity, improving resilience and reducing waste in the food sector”.

The Centre for SMART, in collaboration with a number of major industry partners, focuses on the implications of activities in the area of resource efficiency, sustainable production and distributed localised food manufacturing.

The event celebrates two years of research at the Food-CIM, deliberating on six research themes including: Upgrading of ingredients, Food manufacturing for healthy diets, New flexible manufacturing, New processing technologies, Eco-manufacturing of food, and Sustainable food supply chains. 

The conference is taking place at Holywell Park on the University campus. Tickets are priced at £60 - £150 and registration closes on 21 March.

Click here to find out more and book your place.