New Product Development
What is New Product Development (or NPD)?
From idea generation through to branding and packaging, the NPD process creates
new food and drink products that meet with current market and legislative
demands. It is the lifeblood of most successful companies and is seen as key to
business growth and survival.
It is generally accepted that there are 12 key stages in the development of a
new product i.e. creation of the Brief, market research, design brief / design
specification, idea generation, concept screening (prototyping), sensory
evaluation, commercial viability testing, review/modifications, pilot run,
sampling the
market, launch, product management.
What it might mean for a food or drink manufacturer?
NPD can mean many things in the food and drink industry and can be driven by
many factors including changing market needs, ingredient availability,
costs/price
points, legislation and process & packaging technology. NPD could be:
- The creation of completely new branded retail products
- The introduction of bespoke products for a specific foodservice customer or for
a retailer's own label
- Reformulation of products to become healthier (e.g. reduced salt, fat or sugar;
introduction of more fibre, etc.)
- Reformulation of existing products or creation of new products, to meet special
religious, cultural or health related dietary requirements such as gluten-free,
halal, kosher, vegetarian, young children, etc.
- Creation of new products to meet taste preferences and/or legislative
requirements of various export markets
- Development, or reformulation, of products to meet customer's increasing
environmental and/or ethical interests e.g. organic, fair-trade, use of local
ingredients, less packaging, etc.
- Creation of a range of new products using new process or packaging technologies
- Changing packaging or product format, size or shape to appeal to a new market
e.g. export, children, elderly, etc.
Context within Curriculum for Excellence?
Likely to cover all five core skills – communication, numeracy, problem solving,
IT and working with others
Outcomes: Perfect link with Health & Wellbeing (particularly food and the consumer, but
also strong links with nutrition) and Technologies but, as can be seen below,
there are possible applications across many other curriculum areas, e.g.
Expressive Arts - participation in performances and presentations, art & design (e.g. EXA
4-06a[1]).
Health & Wellbeing – parts of planning for choice and changes, many outcomes within food and
health e.g. Nutrition – e.g. HWB 3-30a, HWB 4-31a[2], HWB 3-32a and HWB
4-32a[3] .
Safe and hygienic practices (HWB 4-33a). Practically all outcomes within food &
the consumer e.g. HWB 2-34a[4] and HWB 4-36a[5].
Literacy & English – listening and talking (esp. finding and using information and understanding,
analysing and evaluating ), writing (esp. organising and using information) and
reading (esp. finding and using information and understanding, analysing and
evaluating).
Mathematics – depending on project could cover many aspects of number, money and measure
but most likely impact will be on information handling, particularly data and
analysis where all outcomes could be addressed.
Sciences – Limited direct link to outcomes though, depending on project, some outcomes
could be covered e.g. SCN 4-20a, SCN 4-13b. This is particularly true if
project
involved a QA element (e.g. identifying CCP) - SCN 3-13b.
Social Studies – Relevance to outcomes would depend on project but there could be links with
people in society, economy and business and people, place and environment.
Technologies – Projects could cover most outcomes within food and textiles contexts for
developing technological skills and knowledge (e.g. TCH 0-11a, TCH 2-11a6, TCH
3-11a
and TCH 2-11b) but, depending on product, may also impact on outcomes in ICT to
enhance learning, business contexts for developing technological skills and
knowledge and craft, design, engineering and graphics contexts.
View more on the Learning and Teaching Scotland website Curriculum for Excellence.
Potential Study Areas
- Food Science or Technology
- Cooking/Catering
- Nutrition & Dietetics
- Brewing/Distilling
- Bioscience
Relevance to Possible Food & Drink Careers
- NPD/Food/Process Technologist
- Home Economist
- Technical Sales (Key Account Management)
- Marketing
- Development Chef
- Sensory Scientist
Recent Scottish examples?
Examples of Relevant CfE Outcomes
[1] EXA 4-06a - By working through a design process in response to a design
brief,
I can develop and communicate imaginative and original design solutions.
[2] HWB 4-31a - I can apply my knowledge and understanding of nutrition,
current
healthy eating advice and the needs of different groups in the community when
planning, choosing, cooking and evaluating dishes.
[3] HWB 4-32a - Having identified diet-related conditions, I can adapt and
cook
recipes to suit individual needs.
[4] HWB 2-34a - Through exploration and discussion, I can understand that
food
practices and preferences are influenced by factors such as food sources,
finance,
culture and religion.
[5] HWB 4-36a - I have examined and evaluated food packaging and can
understand
the
legal requirements for manufacturers.
[6] TCH 2-11a - Through discovery and imagination, I can develop and use
problem-solving strategies to meet design challenges with a food or textile
focus.