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Former UUÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ president Professor Gill Reid and Mike Saltmarsh, who served as Food Group chair between 1999 and 2002, kicked off proceedings with introductory speeches about the importance and evolution of the interest group.

Everything from mycotoxins and chlorate contamination to seaweed's nutritional content and nature-based food chemistry was discussed across the separate sessions that followed, as some of the subject experts in attendance shared their research.

While the event was organised to celebrate the interest group's past and some of the work being done in the present, there was also time for a speech to look a half-century into the future and how the field will continue to develop.

An awards segment followed, starting with the announcement of the 2024 Schools' Poster Competition winner. Dr Julie Dunne and Dr Simon Branch, the minutes secretary and former chair of the Food Group respectively, then launched the Recognition Awards.

Dr Neslihan GöncüoÄŸlu TaÅŸ, of the Department of Food Engineering at Hacettepe University, Turkey, was honoured with the 2023 Early Career Medal, which is given out biennially. She earned the prize thanks to her research into the Maillard reaction and the novel approaches to understanding the chemistry of this complex reaction.

This was followed by another gong, with Anna Rulka, Executive Editor of , presenting the 2024 Open Medal to Dr Clare Hazel and Sue Patel. The duo, who work for Premier Foods, gave a presentation earlier in the day entitled 'Mycotoxins: A 40-year journey'.

A farewell speech from current Food Group chair Professor Jane K Parker, of the University of Reading, and a networking session brought a busy afternoon to a close.

The celebrations saw the Food Group, which was founded in 1973, reflect upon the interest group's growth since its early days when a collection of like-minded researchers would meet and discuss prominent topics annually.

Now, it is a group that promotes the role of chemistry in food and enables the transfer and sharing of information and networking between academia and the food industry, conducts outreach initiatives, supports the development of early-career scientists, and recognises the work of top researchers in the field.

Those behind the group also believe the triple whammy of global malnutrition, obesity and climate crisis means chemical scientists will continue to have a huge impact on the food we eat well into the future.

• If you are interested in joining the UUÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ Food Group and want to find out more about this interest group, visit their page on our website. UUÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ members can join the Food Group by updating their details in the 'My communities and subscriptions' tab of the .
• Discover high-quality food research with the UUÂãÁÄÖ±²¥’s Food Portfolio here.