Our visit to the South Lincs Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ) confirmed to us just what an important role it plays within the food industry! This Holbeach Hub is respected as a top centre for research, skills development and innovations within the food chain. The twenty of us who visited were well looked after and came away feeling very proud, learned such a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the morning.

FEZ opened their doors to us and took us through the different stages their National Centre for Food Manufacturing, Centre of Excellence in Agri-Food Technology & The Lincolnshire Institute of Technology took. Our tour showed us areas where raw ingredients arrived and where students would learn first hand how to use various equipment/machinery to create such things as snacks, soups, sauces etc and to begin their education towards sought after Degrees within this industry or starting their Apprenticeship journeys. We heard and saw how important the Extruder & Steam Infuser were before viewing their Robotic technology area. The automation here was quite breath-taking and to learn how these machines were programmed and used to such an extent which made the value of the Food Robotics quite mind boggling. Here it showed just how important selling their technology and giving training was. It also showed us the route of the automated work place!

All this equipment and technology comes at a price and we learnt the FEZ is financed by Lincolnshire County Council, South Holland District Council, University of Lincoln, is a Local Enterprise Partner and if further finance is required to keep all these solutions up to date onto the UK Government.

Our morning continued and we concentrated on the research and advanced training skills they give not only to UK students but also across the world up to PhD thesis level using on-line learning or coming for week long hands-on knowledge & advice. They problem solve, keeping food standards & safety within the industry high, troubleshoot within food production and are even looking at solving some Quality of Life issues. We heard how avocados come straight to Spalding for ripening for eating and to recover oils and colouring for non-food purposes. I don't expect we were at all surprised to learn that 40% of food for the UK travels through Lincolnshire and 30% of working age people in Spalding work within agri-food.

To finalise our tour we had a bit of fun in their sensory activity area where we had sight & taste tests followed by teas and coffees listening to the expansion expectations for the abutting land along the A17. All I can say is "Watch this Space". Holbeach will become well known as the number 1 home for Food Research, if it isn't already.

We all left feeling very proud, knowledgeable and honoured that Spalding & District U3A had this rare opportunity to be taken around this site as a group.

Find out more about the FEZ on the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone website.