An annual forum designed to help businesses create innovative food and drink products is to take place in Leeds next month.

The event, open to food and drink companies throughout the region, will explore issues surrounding innovation. Hosts The Regional Food Group (RFG) see forward-thinking as the “lifeblood of successful organisations in difficult economic times”.

It will include development projects in product and packaging, seminars, workshops, special reports and ‘innovation surgeries’. It is hosted by the RFG on behalf of Appetizing Innovation, a new initiative offering food and drink manufacturers access to innovation.

Speaker Tracey Hollowood of Nottingham University will focus on how to use sensory and consumer research to build a better product. John Kirkby, director of Design Futures Creative, will examine packaging innovation and improvements.

"[The forum] will highlight the opportunities and resources available to businesses in our region. Innovation is what ultimately sets products apart, and in the crowded food market within which companies operate in today,” said Kirkby.

“It is more important than ever before to inspire delegates to be more creative and innovative in their approach to meeting the needs of their customers,” he said.

The day will also include two workshops. The first will be a Special Interest Group (SIG) about ‘New British Foods for the World’. The second will concentrate on the Technology Road Map, entitled ‘Competitiveness’.