Jessica Lui was awarded the Denis Lynn Scholarship for Sustainable Food Innovation in the academic year 2023/24. Reflecting on her journey, Jessica describes why she applied for the scholarship and how it has supported her on her food career journey.
Why did you apply for the scholarship?
Whilst studying for my undergraduate BSc in Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition at Queen’s University, Finnebrogue came on campus to present on Denis Lynn, his life and how Finnebrogue came to be one of the leading food producers in the UK.
They explained that the Denis Lynn Scholarship is a generous bursary of £20,000 towards tuition fees and living expenses for a student on the Msc Advanced Food Safety, within the School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS), at Queen’s University Belfast. There is also an opportunity for candidates to develop work experience through industrial placements in the food industry.
I originally chose food science for my studies as I come from a family where food is a central part of our culture, although I was also personally interested in plant-based diets and meat alternatives. This was also the focus of my undergraduate dissertation – “Health benefits and nutrition concerns of plant-based diets in children”.
Finnebrogue’s status of being innovative market leaders in food production and new product development, along with the work being done in plant-based meat alternatives piqued my interest and pushed me to apply.
I was grateful to be able to complete my studies, but also to gain an opportunity to work with a forward-thinking company that are already established within the meat and plant-based market.
Describe the course and why it interested you?
The scholarship was attached to the MSc Advanced Food Safety at Queen’s University Belfast. This is a unique course that covers a wide array of areas, including emerging food safety threats and advancements in research technology. The modules in this course cover areas in bio-analytical techniques to detect food authenticity, traceability and integrity, bio-entrepreneurship and food safety, health and disease.
I hope to combine what I learn from this course and apply it practically to the food industry, particularly in areas concerning food integrity and sustainability.
The Denis Lynn Scholarship was launched in 2023, in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast. Denis was a visionary who worked tirelessly in his personal life and work life to deliver positive change for the planet and people. It is Finnebrogue’s hope that this scholarship will support others with the same ambition.
How has the Denis Lynn Scholarship supported your studies?
As part of the scholarship, I have carried out various placements which have allowed me to meet and work with established industry professionals whilst gaining greater insight into how the food industry functions.
My 1st placement was in partnership with Cargill, a Finnebrogue stakeholder. This week-long placement allowed me to travel to both the Netherlands and Belgium, where I visited Cargill’s offices and also carried out field visits to local retailers in each country. Throughout this placement I was supported by both Finnebrogue and Pete Bufton, Commercial Leader within the Global Alternative Protein team at Cargill.
During this placement, I was tasked with conducting market research into plant-based chicken analogues available in the European and UK markets. This project allowed me to further develop my data collection, communication and presentation skills.
As a whole, this placement experience was really valuable as it allowed me to expand my professional network and gain insight into how a business of Cargill’s size functions whilst also pushing me on a personal level to travel solo for the first time.
I previously completed a year-long placement at a beef manufacturer, working in a lab-based role focused on analysing samples to ensure food safety standards were being upheld. So it has been fascinating to see the next stages of the supply chain – at my second placement at Finnebrogue in Downpatrick – and how raw materials are processed into the final product.
During this placement I was given the opportunity to move around different departments such as Sustainability, NPD and Technical. These departments are all areas that interest me and I am grateful that Finnebrogue have tailored my placement experience to suit these interests.
What is your dissertation on and how does this fit within the scope of the scholarship / course?
The title of my dissertation is “Comparative analysis of the impacts of food production: A study of human rights risks and environmental impacts within spice manufacturing supply chains”. The title was chosen in collaboration with the Sustainability team at Finnebrogue and it involves creating a model to determine the environmental impacts and human rights risks associated with countries involved in Finnebrogue’s spice supply chain.
The project is something beneficial to the company as they work towards achieving net zero targets and sustainable production, but also an area that I was keen to learn more about.
Previously, I would have covered topics on sustainable food production and supply chain management but being able to carry out a case study with real businesses and real solutions has brought all of that theory to life.
What are your future plans and career ambitions?
For now, I have no set dream job role. However, I aim to continue developing my skills and experiences across the field of food science, with the long-term goal of providing a meaningful contribution to the industry in terms of sustainable and safe food production.
It’s a very dynamic environment that requires creativity and adaptability and I’m grateful for the placements I have coming up which may help inform my decision of what role I would like after completing my MAdegree.
Would you recommend the scholarship to other students?
The placement opportunities included are invaluable and the company tailor the placement to the interests of the student, allowing for multiple aspects of the food industry to be seen rather than just one. I would definitely recommend the scholarship to other students, it is by far one of the most generous formats that I have seen. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Finnebrogue so far and I’m excited to see what opportunities lie ahead following the completion of my course.
If you’re interested in applying for the Denis Lynn Scholarship for Sustainable Food Innovation, please contact melissa.mackey@finnebrogue.com for more information.
