The Diet and Health Research Industry Club (DRINC) was first established in 2008 to support pre-competitive research that investigates the link between diet and health. The research has enabled the food and drink industry to develop products that deliver enhanced health benefits for consumers.
DRINC is a partnership between the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Medical Research Council (MRC), and a consortium of leading food and drink companies. Together the partners have committed to investing £22 million in the UK research base. The projects have already generated novel underpinning knowledge and improved skills in a research community that provides valuable pre-competitive outputs for UK industry.
The first phase of DRINC had 15 company members, and distributed around £12 million, funding 25 projects and 30 studentships at 26 centres. Following an independent evaluation in 2011 the partners initiated a second phase of the Club which awarded a further £10 million, funding 18 projects, to continue building the UK’s strength in diet and health research.
Research challenges
Three research challenges were identified for the second phase of DRINC through discussions with the food and drink industry. The challenges fit into the overarching theme of improving our understanding of the relationship between diet and health:
- designing foods to maintain and improve health
- understanding the relationship between food processing and nutrition
- understanding food choice and eating behaviour to improve health through diet.
DRINC is a cross-council programme and so the challenges reflect BBSRC’s research priorities but also extend to areas of relevance for EPSRC, ESRC and MRC. The challenges build upon the two research themes from the first phase to: ‘improve our understanding of healthier diets’ and: ‘explore the benefits of bioactives in foods’.
Club members
DRINC currently has 14 company members who contribute to funding research and help to direct the Club’s activities. DRINC has a total budget of £22 million which has been allocated in two phases:
- £2 million – company membership subscriptions
- £20 million – BBSRC with contributions from EPSRC, ESRC and MRC to support proposals within their remit.
Industrial members
- Campden BRI
- Coca-Cola
- Dupont
- Marks and Spencer
- Mondelez International
- Nabim
- Nestle
- Pepsico
- Sainsbury’s
- Unilever
Contact
External contact
Serena Broadway, DRINC coordinator
Telephone: 07826 505756
Email: serena.broadway@ktn-uk.org
BBSRC contact
Diet and Health Research Industry Club (DRINC)
Email: drinc@bbsrc.ukri.org.
Last updated: 31 March 2022