CHICAGO – 20 July 2016 – Tate & Lyle, a leading global provider of food ingredients and solutions, is pleased to announce the winner of this year’s Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA) Developing Solutions for Developing Countries (DSDC) competition, McGill University.

“Tate & Lyle is honored to be the new sponsor of this program,” said Sarah Scholl, Bakery Team Lead for Tate & Lyle and one of the judges for the competition. “These students demonstrate true innovation in developing solutions for some of the world’s greatest concerns related to food availability, nutrition and health.”

The winners were announced yesterday at IFT16: Where Science Feeds Innovation, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Event in Chicago, in Tate & Lyle’s booth (#1248). The DSDC competition, the second-largest food competition hosted by IFT, promotes the application of food science and technology and the development of new products and processes that are targeted at improving the quality of life for people in developing countries. Each year, a new theme is chosen for the DSDC that focuses on a specific food and nutrition challenge in the developing world. Students submit proposals around an objective to create a food solution, and the top three teams are selected from the six finalists.

This year’s students were challenged to develop desirable products aimed at increasing a pregnant woman’s intake of calcium in the Middle East and North Africa. Fifty-six teams submitted to win this year’s award, but only the top three teams are selected to receive awards each year. The winning team from McGill University developed Fitamin Multimeal. The second place team Universidad de Costa Rica, developed Hamlik and in third place, Rutgers University, developed MagiCal.

The students from the University of Costa Rica presented a unique food product, Hamlik, a milk-based shelf-stable beverage designed with Sudan’s local ingredients. Hamlik helps pregnant women by increasing their intake of calcium, protein, iron, vitamins A and D, folic acid and water.

“The level of ingenuity that each team has demonstrated in this competition is impressive,” said Jaime Savitz, DSDC Chair. “Teams have conducted thorough research on food science, nutrition, and the local cultures to develop their solutions. We applaud not only the winners but also all of the entrants. Nurturing these up-and-coming creative thinkers is highly rewarding and is one of the reasons why leading companies have participated in this program.”