A new research lab has opened in Cambridge to help UK oat growers reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maximising crop yield.
The new facility, launched by PepsiCo and NIAB, will test and analyse thousands of oat samples from regenerative agricultural trials for milling and nutritional requirements.
The laboratory is located at NIAB's HQ in Cambridge, and will be home to state-of-the-art grain quality testing facilities.
PepsiCo, which manufactures Quaker products by working with over 300 oat growers, has a partnership with the crop research organisation to improve UK crop production.
Data collected will feed into numerous research projects, including PepsiCo's Opti-Oat Crop Intelligence programme which aims to deliver a 5-10% increase in yield.
It comes as growers face pressure on several fronts, with issues like extreme weather and rising costs of materials making it more difficult to grow crops.
Peter Bright, senior scientist at PepsiCo UK, said the new testing facility would better support the firm's growers by giving them useful data and insights.
"With over 100,000 metric tonnes of oats going through our mill in Scotland every year, it's really important that we support our growers to meet growing consumer demand for Quaker Oats in a sustainable way.
"Our dedicated oat quality testing facility is a win for PepsiCo, NIAB, our growers and ultimately our consumers through producing the best quality Quaker Oats.”
Helen Appleyard, head of analytical services at NIAB, added: “We have benefitted from each other’s knowledge and experience in the industry.
"PepsiCo’s investment has improved our shared spaces and equipment... including better knowledge of the oat crop from field to bowl.”
