Physics in Food Manufacture.*

Food and drink manufacturing is by far the single biggest manufacturing sector in the UK, supporting 3 million jobs and doubling exports in the last 10 years. Food manufacturing around the world can and does provide solutions to global challenges such as health and wellness (obesity, malnutrition), climate change, water shortages and food waste. Yet the role of science - and in particular physics - solving such challenges, as well as underpinning delicious, nutritious and safe food and beverages, is not well understood and certainly under-exploited. Physics academia in general lacks awareness of the exciting challenges food manufacturing provides and the societal impact in solving them This presentation reviews how physics and a physicists approach is at the core of solving food manufacturing challenges and underpins many food innovations.