December 4, 2007

Ireland's seafood industry gets US$7.6 million research boost

Ireland's marine food industry received US$7.6 million with the announcement of a multidisciplinary research involving various universities.

The Marine Functional Food Research Initiative (MFFRI) will identify novel marine food ingredients and products so Ireland will become a player in the US$74-billion worldwide market for marine functional foods.

The initiative involves University Colleges Cork and Dublin, NUI Galway, University of Limerick, and the University of Ulster Coleraine.

Agriculture and food minister, Mary Coughlan, said Ireland has both the natural resources and the expertise to become significant contributors in the new and expanding market for marine functional foods and food ingredients.

The MFFRI will focus on the use of fish processing waste, the sustainable exploitation of underutilised species of fish and seaweed, and the development of value-added products from aquaculture - both for finfish and shellfish.

These themes were identified and agreed upon by the Marine Institute and food companies, food ingredient suppliers, seafood processors, biotechnology firms and researchers from industry and other institutions.