Develop a new product in a food and drink business
Overview
This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to develop a new product in a food and drink business. New products are developed for a number of reasons including customer request, market information, business expansion, changes to regulations and the financial implications of a global food market.
You must be able to plan development activities including the assessing of a new product request and setting clear objectives. You must also be able to encourage a creative and innovative working environment and support development of new products whilst remaining within the requirements of the request. The trialing of test samples adhering to organisational and customer requirements and then making recommendations for further development work is also required.
This standard is for you if you work in food and drink manufacture and/or supply operations and are involved in developing new products in a food and drink business.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
* Plan development activities*
- assess the brief or specific qualitative request
- determine clear objectives and develop a plan for delivery
- check sufficient resources are in place to support delivery of the new product
- source market intelligence relating to and influencing the development of new products
**Create new product
**
5. liaise with colleagues to evaluate ideas for new recipes and products
6. check that the working environment promotes creativity and innovation whilst maintaining the organisational and customer boundaries relating to quality and cost or additional requirement
7. use market intelligence and additional information to inform development of new recipes and products
8. develop a number of test samples within the requirements of the brief or request
9. comply with regulatory and organisational requirements when developing new products associated with compliance, food safety, hygiene, allergens and health and safety
**Test new product
**
10. plan and manage a recipe test trial adhering to organisational and customer requirements
11. implement product testing in a systematic manner within an agreed timescale
12. evaluate the results of the recipe test trial and make recommendations for further investment in product development
13. communicate results of the test trial to relevant people
14. liaise with colleagues to inform planning and management of pilot and production scale trials of the new product
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the regulatory and organisational requirements relating to the developing of new products in a food and drink business, including compliance, food safety, hygiene, allergens and health and safety
- the importance of clear communication when gaining information from internal or external customers on the requirements of the new product
- organisational methods of communication, how to use them and the importance of adhering to them
- how to determine clear objectives for the development of new products
- what the advantages of sourcing and evaluating market intelligence are when developing new products
- the value of including and consulting with colleagues in the new product development process
- the importance of innovation and creativity to the development process and how to enable it during development of a new product
- the functionality and processing requirements of the key raw materials to be included in the new product
- why it is important to remain within the boundaries of the brief or request with respect to cost, quality and compliance
- how to source and evaluate market intelligence relating to the development of new products
- what the organisational requirements are for the planning and managing of a new product recipe trial
- how to evaluate the new product recipe using a variety of subjective and non-subjective tests including shelf life determination, sensory analysis and microbiological testing
- why it is important to evaluate test results and information systematically and how to do this
- how to make adjustments to the new product recipe in view of testing and evaluation findings
- how to use evaluation of the tests to inform decisions relating to the development of the product
- the organisational requirements for the communication of decisions relating to the development and testing of new products
- why it is important to liaise with colleagues in any further activities relating to the development of the new product