The Role and Urgency of a Food Industry Research and Development (RnD) in The Food Industry

Hello, my name is Luluk, a 6th semester student in the Bachelor of Biology study program, State University of Malang. In this 6th semester, I had the opportunity to take part in one of the prestigious programs from the government, namely independent study which is one of the Merdeka Learning Campus Merdeka (MBKM) programs, to be precise at PT Agritama Sinergi Inovasi (AGAVI) by choosing the Food Research and Development class (RnD). That was a very wonderful my learning experience I've ever had😍. Therefore, from this blog post I would like to share an interesting experience when I joined the program for one semester, especially when positioned as a Food RnD in an industry or company engaged in the food and beverage sector.

Before going further, I need to introduce what an independent study program is and what materials are learned while attending the Food RnD class. The independent study program is a part of the independent campus program which aims to facilitate outside-class learning for students who wish to develop themselves by mastering the specific competencies of corporate practitioners to meet the needs of the business and industrial world. Whereas in the independent study class Food RnD itself is a learning activity held to increase student knowledge and skills in order to create future food product innovations based on current research and development (Research and Development). After joining this program, participants are expected to be able to become a Food RnD staff in a company. The goal is to create RnD staff who are creative and skilled in maintaining the existence of food products to meet consumer needs.

In this blog, I would like to introduce to all of you directly about the scope, roles and responsibilities of a Food RnD in a company. In this blog post, I will explain the urgency, definition, objectives, tasks, benefits, and responsibilities of RnD staff in the sustainability of the food industry.

A. The Urgency of an RnD

Urgency and role is a very important position in the sustainability of a company. Every company for sure requires a group of experts in this field in order to maintain the existence and profit of a company, or even increase it among consumers/target market. Large companies such as industry, manufacturing, or services are always required to be able to continue to make product updates or improve products (innovation and diversification). The importance of the position and existence of an RnD in a company/

industry engaged in the food sector are as follows.

• Changing consumer needs

• Increase the ability to compete in the market

• Apply technological developments and scientific discoveries

• Responding to social issues that are currently happening in society

• Meet new regulations

B. RnD definition

Research and Development (R&D/RnD) is a series of processes in conducting research and development that aims to create a new product/service. Research activities can be carried out as an initial step to trace the track record of product conditions that already exist and are commonly known by the public, then identify problems/needs but these products have not materialized. Departing from this, the task of an R&D is to try to create a new product or develop diversification of existing food products, then reappear in the form of new food with the combinations needed by the community without losing the original identity of the basic concept/initial food before it is carried out. innovation. The purpose of conducting RnD: to create original products/services with optimal quality standards

C. Main Duties of RnD in a Company 

The main duties of an RnD are as follows: 

a) Conduct market research

b) Understand the trend that is being favored by the community

c) Product research from the company's competitors

d) Collect information regarding the product to be developed, both in terms

of competitors and technology readiness (feasibility study)

e) Develop new technologies or systems to improve the quality of existing products/services

D. The Benefits of RnD Existence

1) Create a new product/service

a) Providing benefits to the wider community through new products that answer the needs of the community, so that the products created are not only profit-oriented but also social-humanitarian projects

b) Obtaining patents/copyrights on intellectual property

Regarding new products that are created, the task of an RnD is not only to create new products, but also to fulfill the legality of a work to ensure that the product is truly new and not the result of plagiarism that can be harm the other party. In addition to this legality requirement also for the security of the company if in the future there is a risk of claims/ recognition of ideas from other parties outside the company

c) Attracting investors' interest through new innovations created, with elements of uniqueness and superiority in products that were initiated by an RND able to attract the attention and interest of investors to provide support in the form of funds & budgets, or promotions so that these products can be marketed to a wide public audience

2) Improve existing products/services

a) Increase efficiency, product quality, and reduce production costs, so that with these benefits consumers can obtain the product they want and meet their needs. Meanwhile, in terms of the company is able to increase the profit earned compared to the previous sales period

b) Responding to evaluation results or market desires for product existence, products created by an RnD are the result of fulfilling needs and also improvements to products that have already been on the market but received complaints

c) Fulfilling new regulations, the products created are not only concerned with company and social needs, but also as a form of complying with government policy regulations such as compliance with legality, product use safety, and several aspects of other government regulations such as BPOM

standardization, halal, or clarity of identity profiles product and the issuing company

d) Improving the company's reputation, with the existence of a product a new identity will be born which will be known by the public as a market, as a form of branding, this product will be able to introduce a good image profile of the company

b. Responsibilities of FoodR&D Staff

1) Product Research

➢ Feasibility study (study of product feasibility and availability of existing facilities, both from the existence of sources of raw materials, human resources, and sources of funds obtained to purchase production support facilities)

➢ The benefits of the product to be made (Considering product advantages and disadvantages)

➢ Manufacturing/production procedures (Choosing the right production method by implementing SOP)

➢ Appropriate and optimal marketing strategy

➢ Predictions and projections of product success based on current marketing conditions

2) Product Development

➢ Determining the specifications of the product to be made (Clearly explaining the product to be made, both in terms of product form, raw materials to be used, partners/partners to work with, production methods to be applied, along with packaging models or optimal packaging to extend the shelf-life storage during the marketing expedition process until it reaches the consumer)

➢ Translating consumer desires into product properties (repaired customer complaints can be used as advantages/strengths of a new product launched by an RnD)

➢ Research on the manufacture of product formulations (SOP/Production Operational Standards such as the procedure steps and also the composition of each ingredient)

3) Product Update

➢ Analysis of existing products (observing existing products on the market and evaluating existing deficiencies and becoming consumer complaints)

➢ Customer surveys (can be through direct research such as interviews or observations, or indirect research such as distributing surveys, filling out questionnaires, questionnaires, or literature studies by citing data reported by relevant agencies)

➢ Analysis of consumer complaints

➢ Determine how to improve the quality of related products

4) Quality Control

➢ Producing product quality is in accordance with the standards set

➢ Periodic product tests (organoleptic, trial error)

➢ Collect user feedback (criticism and suggestions)

5) Market Research

➢ Determine the price of the production process (HPP)

➢ The right selling price (Determining the standard price that can be purchased by the target market, but the company can also get a decent profit in order to maintain business continuity)

➢ Good packaging (Practical and attractive packaging, as well as clear information on packaging)

➢ Good packaging design (prototyping)

➢ Product marketing process (Marketing strategy as well as business threat mitigation when sales do not meet targets)

This is the scope of learning about the RnD food industry independent study with PT AGAVI in the MSIB batch 4 independent campus program. I hope this article can enrich insight and increase the interest of readers to take part and contribute to innovation in the development of the food sector which is one of the points important part of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs '30), especially in Indonesia. See you on my another blogs😊....