GMIT Culinary Students Showcase Unique New Food Products

A range of unique and innovative new food products developed by GMIT culinary arts students went on display in GMIT this week as part of their Food Product Development module and assessment.

The second-year students, who are studying towards a BA in Culinary Arts Degree, showcased a selection of ready to bake, ready to eat starters, mains and deserts, and convenience snacks which were sampled and assessed by industry experts from Galway County & City Enterprise Board, Pallas Foods and Panel of Chefs, as well as GMIT students and staff.

Foods on show included:

• Frozen selection of convenience savoury scones, ready to bake

• Spelt based, convenient, tasty, gourmet meal solution in a box

• Sea Lettuce and Tomato Pesto

• Beet Root syrup

• Ready to eat Sea vegetable salad

• Seasoned super food snack crisps

• Ready to Heat Party pack chicken lollipop with savoury fruit sauces

• Frozen ready to bake almond and coconut gluten free cake batter

• Fish cake bites in a garlic butter

In attendance, judging the products and interacting with the culinary students, were Breda Fox, Galway Enterprise Board, Regis Martin, Pallas Foods, Morris McCarthy, director of the Panel of Chefs and Tony O’Kelly, GMIT Innovation in Business Centre (IiBC).

“The feedback has been very positive and constructive in this the fourth year of the Food Showcase”, says Richard Nielsen, lecture on the Food Product Development Module, GMIT College of Tourism & Arts.

“It is great to have industry people provide their expertise through their opinions and feedback to the students. It is also great to see that the industry is so supportive of GMIT and the students. The skill in developing a new food product idea cannot be taught solely through theory, it is essential for the students to get stuck in, tease out the idea, produce it, package it and most of all get their customer intent in purchasing it.”

“We are delighted to have Galway County and City Enterprise Board and Pallas Foods on board this year. The Enterprise Board fosters a local enterprise culture and provides a range of business support packages to small-scale enterprises. Pallas Foods responsiveness to product innovation has helped the foodservice industry to satisfy consumers’ appetites offering a catalogue of more than 8,500 offer fresh, frozen, ambient and non-food products across Ireland.

One of the judges, Regis Martin, Pallas Foods, says: “it is wonderful to see the students develop such a wide range of great ideas based on emerging trends. The products are all of a very high standard with two or three having great potential to go to market. After tasting one of the production products I wished it was in the shops so I could buy it right now.”