ZERO2FIVE

What ZERO2FIVE does

ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre is a specialist food technology and research centre embedded within Cardiff Metropolitan University, serving Welsh food and drink manufacturers — from start-ups to mid-market producers — with technical, regulatory, and innovation support. Its service portfolio spans new product development, food safety certification preparation (SALSA and BRCGS), waste reduction, thermal process validation, sensory evaluation, packaging design research, start-up mentoring, and specialist bakery and confectionery support. The centre is delivered through a sales-led, consultative model combining one-to-one project engagements, workshops, and training, with the Welsh Government's HELIX Programme providing funded access for eligible Welsh businesses (micro, small, medium, and large tiers, each with defined employee and turnover thresholds) and commercial rates applied to non-eligible clients.

Underlying the service offering is a portfolio of capital-intensive, specialised facilities: four food processing areas (low care, high care, bakery/confectionery, NPD kitchen); one of the UK's largest sensory evaluation suites; the Perceptual Experience Laboratory (PEL) — a synthetic-reality environment with wrap-around screens, immersive sensory channels, and eye-tracking; a consumer research kitchen with unobtrusive digital observation; and a multidisciplinary Food and Drink Research Unit with over 20 years of research heritage. The commercial model is a hybrid of grant-funded delivery (HELIX), commercial technical services, and research-derived work, channeled through direct field engagement, Welsh Government referrals, the Food Innovation Wales consortium, and the Welsh Food and Drink Directory of more than 500 manufacturers. Ownership sits with Cardiff Metropolitan University (a public higher education corporation and registered charity), and ZERO2FIVE is also the host of the UK Association for Food Protection (UKAFP) secretariat, linking it directly into UK and international food safety professional networks.

Name

ZERO2FIVE

Legal name

ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre

Website

https://zero2five.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, part of Cardiff Metropolitan University, provides technical, regulatory, and innovation support to Welsh food and drink manufacturers — including new product development, food safety certification, sensory evaluation, and research — delivered via the government-funded HELIX Programme and commercial services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Industry Technical Services

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Other Food Manufacturing (3119)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Safety Certification Bodies (ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, SQF) (AFALAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Circular Economy & Waste/Materials Reporting (Zero waste, packaging) (EUAHAJAL), Food Processing & GMP Sanitation (IMAIADAE)

Keywords

• Food safety consulting
• New product development
• Sensory evaluation services
• Thermal process validation
• Food industry research

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Welsh Government HELIX Programme Funding: ZERO2FIVE delivers funded technical support to eligible Welsh food and drink manufacturers through the Welsh Government's HELIX Programme. Many services are partially or fully funded for qualifying businesses based on company size (micro, small, medium, large) and eligibility criteria.
2. Commercial Technical Services: Commercial support services for businesses outside Wales or those not eligible for HELIX funding, including technical consulting, training, and facility access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, a department within Cardiff Metropolitan University, provides technical consulting, applied research, and facility access to help food and drink businesses produce safe products, innovate, and build resilience. It offers new product development, food safety certification support (SALSA and BRCGS), waste reduction, sensory evaluation, thermal process validation, packaging design research, and start-up support. Much of this work is delivered through the Welsh Government-funded HELIX Programme for eligible Welsh manufacturers, with commercial services available to non-eligible businesses.

Product overview

ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre is a service-based organization at Cardiff Metropolitan University offering technical expertise, insight, and research to help food and drink businesses produce safe products, innovate, and build resilience. It is not a unified software platform but rather a portfolio of advisory services, specialized facilities, and training programmes. The core services include New Product Development, Food Safety Certification (SALSA and BRCGS), Waste Reduction, and the Welsh Government-funded HELIX Programme for eligible businesses. These are complemented by Specialist Bakery and Confectionery Support, Sensory Evaluation, Thermal Process Validation, Packaging Design Research, Start-up Support, and Other Technical Support areas. The organization operates advanced facilities including Food Processing Areas, the Perceptual Experience Laboratory (PEL), and a Consumer Research Kitchen. Its Research Division includes the Food and Drink Research Unit and the Sustainable Food Science and Technologies Lab. Training is delivered through workshops and events covering topics from HACCP to food safety certification schemes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Product Development Comprehensive support for developing and launching new or reformulated food and drink products, including market analysis, recipe development, food safety considerations, product reformulation, quality assessment, and labelling support. Targeted at food and drink manufacturers seeking to launch or refresh products.
• Food Safety Certification Support (SALSA and BRCGS) Support services for obtaining and maintaining SALSA and BRCGS food safety certifications, including mentoring, gap analysis, internal auditing, and action plan development. Targeted at Welsh food and drink manufacturers preparing for third-party certification audits.
• Waste Reduction Sustainability support including waste mapping, process efficiency improvements, sustainable new product development, sustainable supply chains, and BRCGS Ethical Trade & Responsible Sourcing (ETRS) assistance. Targeted at food and drink manufacturers looking to reduce waste and improve sustainability.
• The HELIX Programme Welsh Government-funded technical and commercial support programme providing flexible, tailored assistance to eligible Welsh food and drink companies for food safety certification, new product development, and process efficiency. Targeted at food and drink manufacturers in Wales meeting the HELIX eligibility criteria.
• Sensory Evaluation One of the largest sensory evaluation suites in the UK, equipped with the latest sensory research software for independent product evaluation, quality control, cost reduction, and shelf-life determination. Targeted at food and drink manufacturers needing objective product sensory data.
• Thermal Process Validation Validation services for cooking, chilling, and freezing processes, including temperature profiling during product development trials, troubleshooting, and consumer cooking instruction validation. Targeted at food manufacturers needing validated thermal processes for safety and quality.
• Specialist Bakery and Confectionery Support Expert support for bakery and confectionery businesses including new product development, recipe reformulation, equipment upscaling, process efficiencies, free-from product development, and staff training. Targeted at bakery and confectionery manufacturers.
• Packaging Design Research Advanced packaging optimization using the Perceptual Experience Laboratory (PEL) with eye-tracking technology and immersive environment simulations for consumer behaviour experiments. Targeted at food and drink manufacturers seeking data-driven packaging design.
• Start-up Support Comprehensive support for food and drink start-ups including workshops, food business registration, HACCP guidance, regulated product approval, labelling, and production scaling assistance. Targeted at new food and drink businesses at concept or early scale-up stages.
• Other Technical Support Areas Additional technical support including factory design, process improvements, food safety culture, crisis management, nutritional calculation, allergen management, and Listeria management. Targeted at food and drink manufacturers with broader technical needs.
• Welsh Food and Drink Directory A Food Innovation Wales directory featuring over 500 Welsh food and drink manufacturers, searchable by product type, ingredients, packaging, supply chain partners, and co-packing services. Targeted at buyers, distributors, and partners seeking Welsh food and drink suppliers.
• Training Workshops and Events Range of training workshops covering HACCP, new product development, SALSA, BRCGS, food safety certification, and start-up considerations for Welsh food and drink manufacturers. Targeted at food industry professionals and new entrants.

Quantifiable outcome

• £676 million impact for Welsh food and drink sector since 2016 through the HELIX Programme
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food Innovation WalescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZERO2FIVE is part of Food Innovation Wales, a pan-Wales initiative bringing together three food centres dedicated to encouraging the development of the Welsh food sector. ZERO2FIVE collaborates with Food Centre Wales and Food Technology Centre to deliver the HELIX Programme across Wales.
• UK Association for Food Protection (UKAFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZERO2FIVE hosts the UKAFP secretariat and annual conferences. Dr Ellen Evans serves as UKAFP Secretary, Professor David Lloyd serves as UKAFP Treasurer, Helen Taylor serves as IAFP Delegate Affiliate, and Heather Curwen and Simon Burns serve as UKAFP Officers. ZERO2FIVE organizes and hosts the UKAFP Conference each year.
• International Association for Food Protection (IAFP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKAFP is an affiliate of IAFP. IAFP focuses on protecting the global food supply and has members in more than 50 countries. ZERO2FIVE researchers present annually at IAFP conferences.
• Cardiff Metropolitan UniversitycoreOthersZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre is part of Cardiff Metropolitan University. The university provides institutional support, governance, and access to academic expertise and research capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fera Science: UK food and environmental science organisation offering testing, research and regulatory support to agri-food businesses. Comparable as a science-led food safety and product research provider with a national UK customer base, though broader scope (including agri-environment) and larger scale.
• Campden BRI: UK-based food and drink research and training organisation offering sensory evaluation, product development, food safety, and regulatory support to manufacturers. Direct comparable to ZERO2FIVE in core services (sensory, NPD, food safety, training) and customer base (UK food manufacturers), but operating at significantly larger scale and a national rather than regional footprint.
• Leatherhead Food Research: UK food and beverage research organisation providing sensory, consumer, regulatory and product development services. Comparable to ZERO2FIVE as a research-led service provider to food manufacturers with sensory and consumer research capabilities, though with a commercial rather than publicly-funded model.
• National Centre for Food Manufacturing (University of Lincoln): University-based UK food manufacturing centre delivering NPD, sensory, food safety and training to food and drink manufacturers. Directly comparable operating model (university-hosted, research-and-service hybrid) and service mix to ZERO2FIVE, focused on a different region of the UK.
• Food Technology Centre (Grŵp Llandrillo Menai): Third Welsh food centre in the Food Innovation Wales network, delivering HELIX Programme technical support to food and drink businesses. Same mandate, funding stream and service categories as ZERO2FIVE, with overlapping customer base across Wales.
• Food Centre Wales: Welsh food technology centre delivering technical support, NPD and training to Welsh food and drink manufacturers as part of Food Innovation Wales. Closest direct peer: jointly delivers the HELIX Programme alongside ZERO2FIVE, with a near-identical service portfolio and customer base.

Emerging players

• Harper Adams University Food Research: UK university with applied food and agricultural research capabilities supporting manufacturers with NPD and food safety work. Comparable in being a UK university-hosted applied food research entity serving manufacturers, though with a stronger agricultural orientation.

Broad incumbents

• NSF International (Food Safety): Global food safety certification, consulting and training organisation supporting manufacturers with BRCGS, SQF, FSSC 22000 and related schemes. Comparable as a provider of food-safety certification advisory and training services to food and drink manufacturers, though with a global, commercial, multi-scheme model rather than a regional publicly-funded one.
• Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI): Northern Ireland government-funded agri-food research institute with food safety, animal health and sustainable agriculture capabilities. Comparable in being a publicly-funded research entity supporting regional food and drink manufacturers with technical and food safety expertise.
• SGS Food Services: Global testing, inspection and certification company with a large UK food safety, quality and certification practice. Comparable as a provider of food safety testing, certification support and quality services to food manufacturers, but operating globally and at much larger scale as a commercial TIC player.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/@ZERO2FIVE_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@zero2fivefoodindustrycentr139/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zero2five

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ZERO2FIVE