My final year at University has easily been the most
stressful, yet happiest times of my life. As part of my final year, students
are required to undertake an Honours Research Project. At first a lecturer
prompted me to write about counterfeit food, but as much as I am fascinated by
food fraud and the ingenious way fraudsters adulterate our food, I had already
exhausted that area of work. It was when my favourite lecturer Lorna White, a
very matter of fact and straight talking woman, told me about the InternationalYear of Pulses something just clicked.
The 68th United
Nations General Assembly have declared 2016 the ‘International Year of Pulses’,
which aims to heighten public awareness about the important role of pulses as a
sustainable part of food production as well as their nutritional benefits (FAO,
2015). In developing countries, the average diet contains around 75 percent
pulses, compared to 25 percent in the diets of industrialised countries (FAO,
2015). They are an important crop for smallholder farmers and through
innovation in crop genetics, selective breeding and sustainable intensive
farming, pulse crops are becoming more resilient in the wake of extreme climate
change. Yet despite their nutritional and sustainable credentials, consumption
is declining as a result of a shift towards meat-centric diets (FAO, 2015).
With an increasing global population expected to rise to 9 billion by 2050 and
an increased worldwide demand for proteins, food sustainability and security
has become a topical issue. Increasing the dietary intake of legumes could help
mitigate the threat of future food security and environmental concerns
surrounding agricultural practices in higher-economy countries (Multari et al., 2015).
Aside from future food security, dietary plant proteins have
gained popularity among nutritionists for their nutrient role as well for their
beneficial effects exerted on human health; these include anti-carcinogenic,
anti-obesity and inhibition of endogenous hydrolytic enzymes (Duranti et al., 2008).
Among grain legumes the interest in the use of lupins is
continuously growing; the main impetus being the numerous studies displaying
their health benefits and its flexibility in food preparation. Lupins use in
the global food industry is not entirely novel, yet their limited use within
the UK demonstrated an untapped opportunity for innovation.
So, combining the IYP initiative, current UK market trends
for plant based foods along with my own personal interest in sustainability and
love for new product development, I decided to explore the use of lupins as a
food ingredient and from it created Blooming Food’s lupin crisps.
Boy am I glad I followed my nose on this one! Mid writing up
my dissertation I discovered the Mission ImPULSEible food innovation
competition, launched by Pulse Canada. Unfortunately it was only open Canadian
residents, but the lovely Christina directed me in the direction of the Global
Pulse Confederations Love Pulses competition. I was eligible for the virtual
stream, open to the countries that weren’t hosting a domestic competition. This
meant that 193 countries were entitled to enter with an innovative product that
was healthy, nutritious, and convenient to eat. The winners of the competition
would be invited to the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meetingand Food Exhibition in Chicago, with the chance to profile the product on major
industry websites as well as connect with international food processors (GPC,
2016).
I noticed the recommendation on who should be on a team, for
example a nutritionist etc., so I wasn’t hopeful of getting placed as a lone student
who hadn’t even graduated. Luckily for me I was urged to enter the competition by
Lorna. So I submitted my entry with a three minute video that showcased the
product. The video itself was planned and produced within 24 hours on a budget
of £0 with a heavy reliance on good friends and a creative mind, proving that
you can achieve almost anything when you put your mind to it.
Unbelievably the global judging panel chaired by Dr. Mahmoud
Solh, Director General of the International Centre for Agricultural Research in
the Dry Area (ICARDA), recognised the potential in Blooming Food and I received
first prize. However, the email announcing
my win went straight to my spam folder, so I only discovered the success indirectly
when I was invited to give a talk at a Food Matters Live event on Innovationand New Product Development Incorporating Pulses.
What a wonderful whirlwind it has been since winning the
competition. Since, I have given a talk at the Canadian High Commission forFood Matters Live and been flown out to the Global Pulse Convention in Cesme, Turkey.
This was a fascinating oversight of the pulse Industry with interesting talks
by key industry speakers such as Murad Al-Katib (CEO of AGT), Andrew Jacobs and
Robynne Anderson. Robynne in particular is such an inspirational and
intelligent woman whose confidence I aspire to. Themes covered varied from specific
focusses on global pulse outlooks, to talks more up my street including ‘New
Foods & New Markets Powered by Pulses’ and ‘Leading in pulses processing
through technology innovation – A Buhler Event’. I made such great contacts and
friends from this weekend and received great awareness of the product on a
global scale. Australia, who are the largest exporters of lupins, have shown
the greatest interest in the crisps, which I hope will lead to commercial opportunities.
Next stop is the Institute of Food Technology in Chicago
where I will be showcasing my product to around 23,000 attendees. Now that I
will be pursuing Blooming Food as a full-time business venture, the event will provide
great exposure for the product and the Blooming Food brand. I’m now also giving
talks at Ladies in Agriculture, the Ludlow Food Festival and possibly the Good
Food show, so if you’re at any of these events please do come and say hello.
I’m incredibly overwhelmed by the support, kindness and
frenzy surrounding the lupin crisps success. What a great start I have had, let’s
just hope the positivity continues.
Watch out for my forthcoming posts about starting a business,
the crisps themselves and the beneficial nutritional and functional attributes lupins
have to offer.
If you would like to find out more about Blooming Food’s lupin
crisps, feel free to email me at bloomingfooduk@gmail.com
or call +447 970270023.
