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Recognition Awards
The aims of the RSC Food Group are 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 150 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.
Recognition Prizes for the Food Chemical Sciences
Recognition awards aim to validate the achievements of individuals and teams; to inspire and support the wider scientific community; and to celebrate the value of science to broader society.
They are a mechanism to share exciting new advances with a range of different audiences, and to showcase the impact of research, innovation, engagement and teaching. Prizes and awards will reflect the diversity of our community. By naming what we recognise and incentivise through our recognition programmes we acknowledge what we believe to be important, using recognition to reflect the food chemical sciences at their very best.
Call Opening: Dec 2024
Call Closing: 1st May 2025
For further information please see attached links or email: rscfoodgroup@gmail.com
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.
We will be running the Early Career Medal again in 2025, please keep an eye out for further updates and information on applying for this award. But in the meantime, feel free to discuss with colleagues for suitable nominations for this great award.
The Early Career Award 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.
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.
Schools Poster Competition
Our 2024 poster competition – “The Chemistry of Protein Shakes” sponsored by Herbalife, has now been judged. The judging panel had a tough job with a large number of entries and an exceptionally high standard of entries focusing on different aspect of protein shakes, from the chemistry and reactions of ingredients to the physiological and nutritional benefits on the body.
We are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2024 poster competition is Anneka Punde of St Pauls Girls School. She will attend a day in the Herbalife labs with scientist to work on formulating a protein shake and to have a real-life experience with scientists working in food science.
The Chemistry Behind Protein Shakes - Poster
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 ward and we look forward to bringing you some further information soon on this presentation.