At Hawkins Watts, we’re passionate about supporting the next generation of food technologists. That’s why we partnered with Massey University to create the Peter Hawkins Food Technology Scholarship—honouring our founder’s legacy and helping students take their first steps into the industry.

We recently welcomed Emma to our office, where she met the team, got hands-on in the lab with our technical experts, and even created some exciting chocolate flavours. She’ll be staying connected with us throughout the year, working on a project to develop her skills and gain real-world experience.

We caught up with her to hear about her journey so far, her passion for food tech, and what she’s most excited about for the future.

I loved how food technology mixes all of the best disciplines. Science and math were always my favourites in high school, but I wanted to do something more creative. I also love trying new food products and places to eat, so with Food Technology tying all of these together into one degree, I was convinced!

Massey University has been amazing for food technology. I started on the Auckland campus for my first two years before moving to Palmerston North to finish my degree. Being such a small class, 16 of us graduating in 2025, the learning has been intimate yet extensive. The lecturers are all full of knowledge and open for a chat, whether about uni work or other fun foodie things! Palmy's campus has great facilities, including the Pilot Plant, which allows students to gain a real understanding of what a manufacturing process would look like and what it entails. My favourite part of my studies so far was in the third year, when we made ice cream and sausages using the Pilot Plant equipment. Seeing our learning come to life was cool, and we got a few yum lunches out of it!

I’m excited to see what new trends and products will pop up in the future. The food industry is fast changing, with consumer preferences and needs at the forefront of all NPD and with the rise of social media, consumers have more say than ever. Keeping current with these trends will be the key to success and creating an innovative product. I love trying new products on the market, and with such a shift towards prioritising health, it will be interesting to see the latest technology and ingredients that may be used in the near future.

I’m passionate about functional and fortified foods. It is amazing to see all the new nutraceutical ingredients used for thousands of years by other cultures starting to enter the Western world and become more thoroughly researched. There are also so many new ones being discovered and yet to be found. I also believe that everyone should have the opportunity to afford nutritious food and have a healthy life. Fortification can help provide nutrients typically missing in a diet, and many functional ingredients are being proven to help people with daily tasks both anecdotally and through research. It’s exciting to think about the future of these areas and what may be discovered and developed.

I’m looking forward to taking in all of the knowledge I can. Hawkins Watts works on so many different food and beverage products, and they have a fantastic team of food technologists with so many different backgrounds in the industry. I love speaking to different people, getting hands-on, and learning new things, so I can’t wait!

It was interesting to learn about the specific functionalities of ingredients used in product formulations as so many behave and interact differently and can be manipulated to make a product have any desired attributes. It was great to understand that just because they may have a chemical name doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be eaten. In fact, they are typically in food to make it better! I was never necessarily worried about these ingredients myself, but it is such a common misconception in the public, and if more knowledge were spread about it, there would be a lot less fear surrounding foods.

I would love to improve the plant-based meat alternative category. Incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet is great and can be better for the environment, but at the current nutritional levels and prices of meat alternatives, it is hard for many people to reach for them over meat.

Potatoes, they make all the best foods… Chips, crisps, gnocchi, I love it all!