School children in the north-west of England produced impressive results when challenged to design a food of the future that could be on our supermarket shelves in 2025.

The Future of Foods competition was launched across schools in Greater Manchester earlier this year by Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, in a bid to boost interest in careers within food and drink manufacturing among young people.

The winning designs were announced during a special ceremony at Reaseheath College in Nantwich, Cheshire - a Centre of Vocational Excellence in Food Chain Technology.

Fresh produce had its say in affairs, as first prize went to pupils from Winsford’s Verdin High School, for ‘Schloop’, a low-fat chocolate yogurt with fresh fruit contained in edible packaging. A recipe for ‘cosmic cookies’ took second place, while other innovative entries included a glow in the dark milk drink and an organic ‘berry surprise’ muffin.

Groups of 14 and 15-year-old pupils from six schools in the area took part in the competition. They were encouraged to think about ingredient selection, packaging, costs and the target audience of their product, with their final entries comprising drawings of their food product alongside the rationale and thinking processes behind the design.

David Hickman from Improve, who was on the judging panel, said: “The standard of entries was incredibly high. All the groups have really thought about the challenge and have come up with some great designs and ideas.

“The competition has proved an excellent way of engaging young people and raising their awareness of the exciting career options within food and drink manufacturing.”

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