28 July 2023

Food Industry Development Autumn Training Courses

Learn about a variety of Courses available this Autumn related to the Food and Beverage sector. From New Product Development and Butchering to Cheese Making and Microbiology.

Management of New Product Development

Innovation and the development of new products is essential to the success and profitability of Irish food businesses. While companies proactively develop and launch new products to meet the changing demands of consumers and ensure growth opportunities, many of these new products fail post launch. Research indicates that the root cause of these failures can be attributed to an ineffective new product development (NPD) process. This course will introduce best practice methods for the successful management of NPD processes within a food business.

Find out more about Management of New Product Development. Discounts available by the Rural Food Skillnet for eligible businesses.

Introduction to New Product Development

Whether you are new to food innovation, new product development or want to improve your pipeline of innovative food products, this training course will introduce you to a wide range of best practice methods and real life case studies. This course is designed for entrepreneurs, small food producers, food technologists, brand managers and development chefs working in the food and beverage industry. 

Find out more about Introduction to New Product Development

Introduction to Sensory Principles

Whether you are new to sensory science or want to improve your knowledge, this training course will introduce you to a wide range of best practice methods and real-life case studies. Participants will gain an understanding of the principles of sensory science, the human senses and how they are used in sensory evaluation, sensory methodologies and best practices when conducting sensory studies. Participants also have the option of gaining a Foundation Level Sensory qualification from the Institute of Food Science & Technology, IFST (UK) by sitting a virtual exam.

Find out more about Introduction to Sensory Principles. Discounts available by the Rural Food Skillnet for eligible businesses.

Butchering of Beef, Pork & Lamb: An Overview

Delve into the craft of butchery with Master Butcher Dave Lang and Teagasc Sensory and NPD experts on our one day online training course,

This online, interactive course has been designed for those across the meat sector, including breeders, artisan food producers, meat processing operatives and chefs, with no previous experience in butchery required.

Demonstrated by Dave Lang, master butcher for over 40 years, students will learn about the various retails cuts of beef, pork and lamb of interest to customers and consumers, as well as the costings involved and the reduction of food waste.

This hugely popular course, originally developed in response to requests from small meat producers and those interested in potentially setting up a small meat processing business, has widened in scope to include the broader meat industry. The online format will be delivered using a mixture of live talks, videos and interactive discussions.

Don’t miss out on this excellent opportunity for the agri-food community.

Find out more about Butchering of Beef, Pork & Lamb: An Overview. Discounts available by the Rural Food Skillnet for eligible businesses.

Farmhouse Cheese Making

The programme is aimed at those interested in setting up a Farmhouse Cheese Making enterprise or working already in the small scale cheese-making industry. You will learn about the main components of cow’s milk and their properties and importance for cheese making; milk hygiene and storage; the basic principles of cheese making including starter preparation and addition, renneting and coagulation, curd cutting and handling, and much more. This interactive training course will be delivered using a mix of lecture style presentations, small scale kitchen and pilot plant practical sessions, objective cheese viewing and tasting and round table discussions.

Find out more about Farmhouse Cheese Making. Discounts available by the Rural Food Skillnet for eligible businesses.

Microbiology for Non-Microbiologists

This course is designed to help those in the food industry with little formal microbiology training to gain a better understanding of the microorganisms associated with different foods, their characteristics and their implications for food safety and food spoilage. Participants will also gain an insight into the techniques used in the laboratory to test for microbes and the interpretation of laboratory test reports. Designed for those working in the food industry, including those involved in quality control, new product development and training, the course would also be particularly valuable to anyone with responsibility for improving food quality and safety systems, e.g. HACCP.

Find out more about Microbiology for Non-Microbiologists. Discounts available by the Rural Food Skillnet for eligible businesses.