Recognition Awards
The RSC Food Group aims to promote the role of chemistry in food and enable transfer and sharing of information and networking between academia and the food industry. This includes analytical, biochemical, chemical, physical, nutritional and toxicological aspects of food and food ingredients and the composition and relationships between structure and functionality throughout the entire food chain in a way to enhance sustainability and food and nutrition security.
The RSC have proudly recognised excellence in the chemical sciences for more than 180 years. The Food Group, established 50 years ago, aims to do the same for food chemical sciences. The RSC Food Group awards recognise Teamwork, leadership, professionalism and diversity as fundamental elements of excellence in 21st century food chemical science.
Food Chemistry Teaching Award – 2026 Call Now Open
The Food Chemistry Teaching Award recognises exceptional contributions to teaching and inspiring the next generation of food chemists. It celebrates educators across secondary, further, and higher education who:
- Deliver outstanding teaching in food chemistry or chemistry taught through the context of food
- Innovate in curriculum design
- Inspire and enthuse students through practical work and real-world applications
- Champion inclusion, diversity and widening participation in chemistry education
- Encourage future study in food chemistry, food science and related disciplines
- Support and collaborate with colleagues, and contribute to the evidence base for effective teaching
Nominees must be RSC members working in secondary, further or higher education. Download the full award criteria here.
Nominations may be submitted by colleagues or through self-nomination. Download the nomination form here.
Submit to John Points, Secretary, RSC Food Group Committee: rscfoodgroup@gmail.com
- Call closes: 15 April 2026
- Prize: £500 and a recognition plaque
- Award presentation: RSC Food Group Spring/Summer Seminar 2026
We encourage our community to nominate exceptional educators whose passion for food chemistry makes a lasting impact.
Download the nomination form and submit your application today.
The 2024 RSC Food Group Open Medal was awarded to joint recipients, namely Dr Clare Hazel and Sue Patel, both of Premier Analytical Services, part of the Premier Foods Group.
The award was presented in recognition of their pioneering work in Bioanalytical Chemistry, especially applied to the determination of natural toxins, including aflatoxins, trichothecenes, zearalenone and fumonisins. Their research not only allowed the levels of toxins to be measured in raw materials and finished products, but also provided critical information on how food processing impacts the levels of mycotoxins, what breakdown products were formed and the risks posed by these compounds. In their distinguished careers they participated in EU and UK concerted actions and undertook multiple studies on behalf of the Food Standards Agency. They developed, validated and published analytical methods for known and emerging mycotoxins in a very wide range of matrices, such as wheat, maize, bread, cakes and biscuits, dried fruits, wine, coffee, ethnic foods, infant formulae, cheese, rice, breakfast cereals and many others. By publishing their methods, they made them available to other scientists, thus it is probably fair to say that foods in the UK and Europe are safer to consume because of the work of the medal winners.
The medals were presented to Clare Hazel and Sue Patel at the RSC AGM and 50th Anniversary Celebration Meeting held at Burlington House on 11th December 2024. Dr Nesihan Concuoglu Tas received the Early Career Medal at the same event. The RSC Food group would like to thank the Journal Sustainable Food Technology for their sponsorship of the Open Medal and the kind donation of £2000 prize.
Sue Patel, left, Dr Clare Hazel, right and Dr Nesihan Goncuoglu Tas, centre. The RSC Food Group Committee is gathered behind the winners.
The Food Group Early Career Medal is open for nominations in 2025, please download the 2025 flier for information about the rules and how to apply, and discuss with colleagues for suitable nominations for this great award.
The Early Career Medal will be made for the most meritorious contribution to food chemistry on the basis of published papers and/or other documentary evidence over the preceding five years, with less than ten years of professional experience. The aim of this RSC Food Group award is to encourage and recognise excellence in early career scientists in the application of chemical sciences to the study of all aspects of food, drawing attention to the challenges for chemistry in the food industry and encouraging first-class scientists to enter the field of food chemistry.
The 2023 Medal was awarded to Neslihan Tas, Hacettepe University, for her research into the Maillard reaction and the novel approaches to understanding the chemistry of this complex reaction. Her work has made a significant impact to human health and flavour chemistry, which is applicable across a wide range of food applications. Neslihan was also invited to join us at Burlington House to give a presentation on her work as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations in December.
Dr Nesihan Goncuoglu Tas receiving the 2024 Early Career Medal at the 50th Anniversary Celebration Meeting at Burlington House.
Nursten Award
The Nursten Flavour Symposium (named after the late Professor Harry Nursten) is an annual event specifically dedicated to postgraduate students in the area of food and flavour science in the UK in order to give them early experience in presenting scientific findings to an academic audience.
The 2024 award for Best presentation on flavour chemistry went to Aidan Kirkwood of University of Nottingham / University of Adelaide, for his presentation on “Mechanisms of Aroma Compound Formation in the Manufacturing Process of Dried Dendrobium Stems (Shihu)”. Congratulations on this award and we look forward to bringing you some further information soon on this presentation.