Vol. 524 No. 6
188 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the degree to which research is taking place in the matter of the development of a new food products with particular reference to the pre-cooked or oven-ready market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23655/00]
The National Development Plan 2000-2006 provides for a total funding allocation of £282 million for the food industry. Of this amount, £83 million has been allocated towards the food research technological development and innovation, RTDI measure, with the primary aim of enhancing the innovative capability of the food sector. The RTDI strategy for the food industry comprises a number of elements involving in-company research, technology transfer and public good research.
As a result of a recent call for project proposals under these measures, a large number of projects selected for grant assistance are concerned directly with new product development, many of which relate to the pre-cooked or oven-ready market. In addition, several projects in the consumer foods, ingredients, dairy and meat sectors are devoted to investigating the underlying behaviour and functionality of product raw materials. Research in these areas will provide a base of expertise in generic technologies which will underpin the development of new food products well into the future.
