Mayor Oliver Coppard hails National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering

15th August 2022

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has praised the work of Sheffield Hallam University’s National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering (NCEFE).

The mayor visited NCEFE to meet local food businesses and learn more about the regional food sector – the biggest manufacturing sector in the country. 

NCEFE, based in Attercliffe and launched in 2019, is a cutting-edge facility designed to improve current food engineering processes, address the sector’s skills gaps, and boost the international competitiveness of the country's largest manufacturing sector.

The Centre's facilities and expertise focus on tackling food industry challenges such as productivity and sustainability through minimising waste and reducing energy use, and addressing the health agenda.

During the visit, Oliver met businesses working with NCEFE including Zeck Ltd (Director, Richard Harpum) and Koolmill Systems (Managing Director, Alec Anderrson), and given demonstrations of the innovative technologies they are bringing to market.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “The NCEFE is an excellent example of the outstanding research centres found right here in South Yorkshire, at the cutting edge of technology, sustainability, and skills growth.

“The food and drink manufacturing sector is incredibly important to the UK’s economy – and we have a world-leading research centre right here in South Yorkshire leading on improving and boosting that sector. I’m determined to champion our region’s world-class engineering assets and maximise on their potential to boost our economy, provide opportunities for young people and put South Yorkshire on the map for our pioneering research and engineering.”

Professor Martin Howarth, Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Mayor to NCEFE to demonstrate the significant impact we are making at a local, national, and international level.

"We are supporting regional businesses and SMEs by researching and developing creative solutions to a range of existing and emerging food industry challenges – this has never felt more important. This is matched by our commitment to create highly skilled, highly knowledgeable graduates with the practical experience needed to make a real-world difference, in this vital industry and beyond.”