The SuperValu Award for Excellence in Food Microbiology has been presented to Damhan Scully at a ceremony in UCC. The award, which is now in its second year, is an acknowledgement by SuperValu of the vital contribution UCC makes to primary food research. The award winner Damhan, originally from Blackrock in Dublin, finished top of his class in the Masters of Food Microbiology course. As part of the award, Damhan will receive a bursary of €2,000 to continue his research. Damhan has also recently been awarded a Walsh Scholarship to undertake his PhD research jointly with UCC and Teagasc later this year in the area of food safety.
Ray Bowe, Head of Food Safety & Quality at SuperValu said, “As Global supply chains become more complex, it is critical that primary research continues to focus on food safety so that tomorrow’s consumers can be confident in the safety of the foods they buy. It is for this reason that we are delighted to congratulate Damhan on his success and continue to support this initiative with UCC which contributes to supporting tomorrow’s leaders in this area. The growing reputation of Irish food at home and abroad makes this objective all the more important. At SuperValu, we take great pride in ensuring that the foods we source and offer to our consumers are always of the highest quality and safety. This collaboration with UCC aligns perfectly with how we continuously look to improve our co-operation in the area of food research.”
Professor Gerald Fitzgerald, Head of UCC’s School of Microbiology said, “The School of Microbiology has particular strengths in food microbiology, performing world ranking research in aspects relating to microbial food safety, food quality and preservation. The development of expertise is fundamental to the future growth of the Irish food industry. We are delighted that SuperValu with their commitment to food quality and Irish producers, have chosen to collaborate with us again this year on the Award.”
SuperValu serves over 2.6 million customers every week and has 221 stores nationwide. 75% of everything on SuperValu’s shelves is sourced or produced in Ireland. SuperValu continues to source locally wherever possible and purchases almost €2 billion worth of goods from Irish suppliers, helping to sustain 30,000 jobs in the Irish economy.
