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How the cookie crumbled, and the need to strike while the iron is hot

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 75, pages 1419–1424 (2021)Cite this article

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I studied at grammar school and, after specializing in botany, zoology and chemistry, was offered a place at Durham University to read zoology. I had followed my school studies without reflecting on the next steps and, at that late stage, could not envisage a clear career pathway in zoology. At the last moment, I turned down the university place and took a job as an assistant in the quality control laboratories of J. and J. Colman, a long established, local food company manufacturing a range of food products including mustard, soft drinks and baby foods. I enjoyed the food industry and could now envisage a future career but, in order to succeed, I needed to continue my studies.

In 1965, I began a 4-year course in food technology at the National College of Food Technology (NCFT) in Weybridge. The course consisted of alternate blocks of lectures and periods of industrial training with different food companies. During my industrial training, I canned vegetables, manufactured biscuits (cookies) and worked in food packaging. By the time I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Reading (which now included the NCFT), I had obtained experience in food manufacture, quality control processes and product development, and began my career in London in the autumn of 1969 in the product development laboratories of the Metal Box Company specializing in food packaging. London was vibrant but, after spending a year testing Coca Cola and Guinness cans, I needed more fulfilment in my career.

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  1. Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Richard F. Hurrell

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Hurrell, R.F. How the cookie crumbled, and the need to strike while the iron is hot. Eur J Clin Nutr 75, 1419–1424 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-020-00771-8

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