Brewery says cheers to the Food and Drink iNet

A Leicestershire brewery is raising a glass to the Food and Drink iNet project after being given a grant to help with expansion plans.

Food and Drink iNet grant helps apple snack idea to evolve

A Leicestershire company has developed a crunchy new apple snack using fruit that would previously have gone to waste, thanks to a grant from the Food and Drink iNet.

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Qadex

The project

QADEX created a software system which made the process of checking, assessing and managing the supply chain much easier and more reliable by assessing allergen-related information in a more structured format, and providing a much more accurate picture of allergen risk in supply chains. …giving manufacturers supply chain assurance.

QADEX, with a global support centre based in Leicestershire, and a technical operations centre at Blanchardstown, Dublin, provides solutions for supplier compliance management (SCM) in global food supply chains. Acting on behalf of customers, QADEX drills down into a company’s supply chain until the primary processing sites of all ingredients or packaging items are identified. Information is then collected and assessed to provide important facts for conformance, labelling and other issues.

The need

Management of allergens in the food supply chain is becoming a bigger challenge for food businesses. Mistakes during the product development process can result in major issues such as product recalls or smaller issues such as packaging write-offs which are expensive. Gathering information about supply chains manually is a labour-intensive process, however, and lack of understanding about allergens and cross contamination risks within the supply chain means that the information currently being provided by suppliers may not be reliable.

QADEX sought to develop an innovative software system that would help food and drink manufacturers spot the potential risk of allergens in their products much more easily and more reliably.

Food and Drink iNet support

During the first phase of the Food and Drink iNet, QADEX was awarded an Innovation Support Grant of £10,000, which it matched with its own investment.

The investment allowed QADEX to create a software system which made the process of checking, assessing and managing the supply chain much easier and much more reliable…giving manufacturers supply chain assurance.

The result

The new system proved popular with manufacturers. Major companies like Britvic, Whitworths, First Milk Group, Rectory Foods and Maximuscle are using the QADEX system to spot allergen risks in their supply chains. It answers a growing need for more accurate information on allergens in food and drink products, and is a far more time-efficient process than was previously used by the industry.

QADEX doubled its turnover in a year, with a similar growth anticipated during 2011. It more than doubled its staff to 32.

Quote

QADEX development director, Stephen Whyte, said:

“QADEX grew by 108% during 2010. The funding available from the iNet allowed us to deliver a very valuable project which we would not otherwise have been able to deliver. Once delivered this project contributed to our growth and the increased employment of highly skilled staff.”