June 2013
Vending Concept Winners
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A team of Culinary Arts Management Degree students is celebrating after impressing leading figures from the vending industry with their innovative new concept range of pastries.
University College Birmingham worked in partnership with The Automatic Vending Association (AVA) to develop a culinary product development module for the degree course and final year student teams went head to head in a competition to create new ideas for healthy lifestyle vending products which could be used in the key vending areas of business and industry, education, healthcare, leisure, staff catering and transport.
Criteria for all areas included the product’s packaging and its ability to be recycled as well as salt, sugar and fat / calorie levels.
The Gail Pastry Company were declared the winners after presenting their range of gluten and wheat free pastries with fillings including Chicken Jambalya, BBQ Pulled Pork and Apple Sauce and Portobello Mushroom, all suitable for a variety of vending markets.
Other team concepts included gluten and nut free cauliflower pastry pockets, low calorie Asian style noodles, gourmet hot dogs made with locally made sausages and a two in one product with healthy sweet and savoury treats.
The final judging took place at AVEX, the UK’s largest vending and water cooler trade exhibition held recently at the NEC, Birmingham.
National brands were impressed with the in depth research the students had conducted into the healthy eating and specialist food service opportunities which exist in vending. The students showed great knowledge and professionalism and were simply outstanding.
This module has been of significant benefit to both the students and the vending industry, which has a clear need for a greater choice of healthier meal and snack options. We are looking forward to a continued successful partnership with the AVA.
Gail Pastries Team are: James Young, Nicole Mangan, Mathew Waldron, Kha Kait Boon and Richard Seymour.