From a series of workshops and surveys of SMEs conducted through the TRADEIT Hubs, the following series of innovation barriers emerged:

• Lack of time for adequate innovation;
• Difficulties of access to finance for innovation;
• The unsuitable size and cost of new processing equipment for delivering product innovations;
• Problems in creating adequate distribution networks;
• The problem of innovation awareness.

In addition, a significant series of deficiencies in business and human science skills emerged.  These included lack of expertise in:-  growth management; dealing with regulations; personal development; marketing; raw materials costs; lack of capital /access to investment; lack of information about new markets; lack of adoption of new technologies; lack of knowledge of new technologies; lack of external financing; lack of knowledge on how to improve shelf life; lack of rapid analysis equipment and lack of expertise in developing new products and in by-product valorisation.

As well as the above range of business and human sciences deficiencies, a significant number of food science and technology needs emerged. These can be classified as:

• Processing issues
• Sustainability issues
• Rapid test requirements
• Allergen management issues
• Packaging issues
• Product formulation issues
• Product characteristic issues
• Health and safety issues
• Labelling and related issues.

Processing

• Ice pack unit for frozen distribution
• Cutting of cheese rounds
• Equipment to automate pudding cutting
• Efficient filtration system for raw milk
• Cutting and packaging of meats and cheese products
• A manufacturing device that mixes the off cuts of cheese
• Stabilization of traditional cheese technological process
• Microfiltration of milk
• Light block to prevent oxidisation of sausage to a grey colour
• Salami ripening; more continuous drying
• Small scale equipment
• Air filters to reduce microbial growth
• Develop rapid aging of cheese and fermented meats
• Applications of high pressure pasteurization
• New low impact sterilization techniques
• Improve grinding & packing for sorghum
• Small scale cheese equipment
• Mill blades for producing gluten-free flour for human consumption
• Effective way of de-crystallizing honey

Sustainability

• Waste problems from mobile poultry processing
• Small dairy wastewater treatment plants
• Energy from photovoltaic systems on dairy farms
• Reduce water use
• Reduce detergent use
• Disposal of meat waste
• Disposal of egg shell
• Disposal of high fat waste

Rapid testing

• Optical equipment for testing food products
• Onsite real-time soil analysis equipment
• Phosphate test and acidity test
• Home milk testing system
• Rapid fat and moisture test
• Rapid moisture analysis in flour & batter
• Quick and inexpensive microbiological and antibiotics tests
• Electronic nose for determination of authenticity
• Tests for antioxidants
• Pathogen challenge tests for medium shelf-life dairy products
• Verification of genetic differences
• Rapid test to show non-GM ingredients
• Pollen test for honey
• Rapid test for contaminants, e.g. glyphosate composition, pH, inhibition of pathogens, etc.)
• A sort of "genetic thermometer”
• Rapid testing for EHEC bacteria
• Rapid Testing of the survival/presence of TB species in matured Cheddar Cheese

Allergen management

• Gluten management
• Allergenicity problems
• Develop sorghum-based gluten free cakes

Packaging

• Automate packaging of sausages & pudding
• Vacuum Packaging or other packaging that would extend shelf life for all or some of meat product range
• Packaging indicator of cold chain break time
• Hybrid structure packaging
• Active/intelligent packaging
• Plastic packaging weighing less, biodegradable
• Packaging with protection activities against pollutants or antioxidant activity
• Peel able films that maintain the shelf-life of products
• Low cost biodegradable packaging
• Packaging to preserve low temperature during mail order.
• Transparent packaging for controlling shelf-life

Product formulation

• Equipment for incorporation of sodium alginate/calcium chloride (for casings)
• Fish based raw material
• Research on meat free substitutes/lower meat contents
• Alternative to sugar to hold cereal bar together
• Unislim bakeries products
• Reduce salt and fat
• Natural probiotics in traditional cheeses
• Healthier fat in raw materials
• Anti-mould and anti-bacterial starter cultures
• Functional dairy ingredients
• Innovative products from whey
• Research towards meatless, vegetarian sausages
• Soy and vitamin use
• Fermented milk products with 2-3 week shelf-life
• Develop new goat meat products
• Reduce enzymes (e.g. cracks in rye crusts)
• Develop fruit bar in edible packaging
• Process for spelt flour croissants
• Puff pastry with less calories
• Natural raw materials
• Natural functional ingredients
• Development of vegan products

Product characteristics

• Extended shelf life of products
• Extend yogurt shelf-life
• Research on shelf-life to extend bakery product crispness
• Moisture migration in breaded product
• Physicochemical, textural, volatile, and sensory profiles of traditional cheeses,
• Aromatic cheeses 
• Functional products (with fibres and polyphenols with high functional activity)
• pH profiles for traditional cheeses

Health and safety aspects

• Prevention of metabolic syndrome and diabetes
• Positive health benefits of saturated fatty acids
• Benefits of natural cheese proteins
• Impact of natural probiotics on health
• Health values of traditional cheese made from raw milk compared to pasteurized
• Develop a balanced meal for diabetics
• The benefits of consuming unpasteurised raw milk products
• The safety of cheddar cheese
• TB inhibition in raw milk
• Research on risk to humans from cheese from TB-positive milk
• Can TB bacteria survive in ripening cheddar cheese?
• Safety of products for controlling the shelf-life of products.
• Anti-Listeria potential of lactic acid bacteria
• Protective bacterial cultures

Labelling and related issues

• Difficulty in nutritional labelling when product size and composition varies
• Remove bottlenecks for PDO
• Hand held device which would track purchases and automatically generate statements when payment is required
• Low cost traceability
• EAN128 barcode for traditional foods
• RID tags on produce to allow track and trace