Queen Margaret University

Queen Margaret University (QMU) provides highly relevant professional education and research that informs policy and practice in health, performing arts, media and social science, and business, enterprise and management. The institution offers the widest range of allied health professional courses of any university in Scotland and its School of Health Sciences has an international reputation for teaching and research excellence. Within the area of health and rehabilitation, flagships include food and nutrition, speech and hearing sciences, international nursing education and rehabilitation science. Within the University's flagships of health and rehabilitation and sustainable business, QMU has expertise in applied research and knowledge exchange. With a keen interest in health, food and drink, QMU has been particularly successful in its support of and collaborations with small and medium sized food and drink companies. Its nutritionists, scientists, food technologists, functional food experts and marketers can provide a range of services to the food and drink sector including: nutritional analysis; new product development; food analysis, testing and microbiology; packaging and shelf life; taste panels and focus groups; consumer behaviour analysis and business and product evaluations. Research at the University has demonstrated that intakes of fish, particularly oily fish, are below Government recommendations. Although many consumers may have preconceived ideas about the acceptability of fish within their families diet, we have also shown that with a creative and informative approach most families are now enjoying incorporating fish into their regular meal plan.