The Moffat Centre highlighted its food and drink sector expertise to a range of businesses at Glasgow Caledonian University’s recent Food for Thought event.

The Moffat Centre is the UK’s largest university-based travel and tourism consultancy and research centre. It has a strong reputation for practical and measurable work which can increase visitor numbers, generate business, build capacity and drive profitability. The centre’s understanding of the tourism sector in Scotland is unparalleled, with Professor John Lennon being called on to provide expert knowledge to local, national and international food and drink companies, the Scottish Government, VisitScotland as well as to a number of tourism organisations such as the National Trust for Scotland and Historic Scotland. The Moffat Centre also compiles the Visitor Attraction Monitor and Barometer for VisitScotland.

Marks & Spencer’s Head of Sustainable Business Mike Barry was the keynote speaker at the Food for Thought event, which drew over 65 food and drink companies to GCU’s city centre campus.

Glasgow Caledonian University is also part of a new Scotland-wide innovation network for universities to support the Scottish food and drink industry.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is to invest £2.64 million in the Scottish Universities Industry Innovation Network for Food and Drink, a partnership of 17 Scottish universities which will work to meet the research and innovation needs of Scottish food and drink companies. Working in partnership with businesses and their supporting trade sectors, academics from multiple disciplines will work to deliver a range of knowledge exchange projects in areas including food science, supply chain development, waste management, packaging design and marketing for the benefit of industry.

Scotland’s food and drink industry is a key sector of Scotland's economy, generating over £9.5 billion per year, and employing over 360,000 people.  The Scottish Government identified the food and drink industry as one of six key industrial sectors drivers for future economic growth in its Economic Strategy.