Nottingham Trent University chosen as Centre of Expertise for food authenticity testing

Nottingham Trent University has been chosen by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as the Centre of Expertise for food authenticity testing.

The announcement indicates the university will be part of the government’s Food Authenticity Network to combat food fraud. The network aims to create expertise and general awareness in the area of food authenticity. It also ensures the UK has access to a number of food testing laboratories on behalf of retailers and suppliers.

In addition, it aims to bolster comsumers’ confidence in the food they buy.

Nottingham Trent University has been assisting the government to reduce cases of food fraud for the last few years. The university helped in the detection of undeclared offal such as liver, heart and kidney and added blood in meat products.

Led by professor Ellen Billett, head of the Food Authenticity department in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology, the university has developed tests that can identify adulterated meat products through the presence of specific proteins.

The university team will not only test food samples, but will also provide technical advice and guidance to the food industry on how to identify proteins of relevance for food authenticity.

Billett said: “The prevention of food adulteration is extremely important to consumers and the industry for economic, health, food safety and cultural reasons.

“I am delighted that we have been recognised as a Centre of Expertise that has pioneered the development of novel tests capable of detecting undeclared ingredients in meat products and assisting in the prevention of fraud.”

In November, the university was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize, the highest national honour for a UK university.

The award was for pioneering projects undertaken by the university to improve weapons and explosives detection in luggage, enable safer production of powdered infant formula, and to combat food fraud.