Dr Sarah Gaunt

Sarah is passionate about making our food systems sustainable and fit for purpose by developing foods and ingredients which are healthy and have less impact on the planet. She founded SPG Innovation to carry out R&D into sustainable nutrition products including the development of plant based ingredients which add texture to foods, containing less processed proteins and more whole ingredients, such as Hempea 60, a TVP made from hemp and our tofu inspired product using locally grown beans and pulses rather than soy. She has a degree in Chemistry and has been working in the food industry in the early stage development of ingredients and foods for the last 20 years.

Sarah has extensive experience of taking ideas from concept to commercial reality in a number of different organisations including large multinational companies, academic groups and small start-up businesses. Possessing a broad technical background, she is an expert in commercialising intellectual property within short timeframes to produce profitable business opportunities. Specialising in developing IP from Academic source and providing the translation to large businesses, Sarah has worked in a number of different organisations at the interface between Academia and industry.

She has an academic background in chemistry and nano ceramics and extensive commercial experience in the pharma and food industries. More recently Sarah has been heavily involved in the preparation of Novel foods submissions for foods such as CBD and insects.

Previous successes include taking a sodium reduction product, Soda-Lo, from a once in the laboratory product to a multi-million dollar licensing deal with Tate and Lyle, a large multinational company.

At SPG Innovation Sarah is responsible for the organisation’s strategic direction and ideation. She leads on the regulatory elements as well as the consultancy arm of the business.

Away from the business Sarah loves to be active, especially running, having competed for England at athletics and cross country in the past. These days her running is confined to parkrun and chasing after her children.