Master Foods Middle East announce ME Award for Academic Excellence

Open to students of Zayed University and UAE University, the award is being launched as part of Master Foods' ongoing corporate responsibility programme.

The award is aimed to be a platform for students to present the knowledge they have gained through their university programme and encourage them to think about how they wish to apply their education towards a career. It is open to final year students of the College of Family Science in Zayed University and to third and fourth year students from the College of Food Systems in Al Ain University

Commenting on the introduction of the award Christine Greaves, External Affairs Manager, Master Foods Middle East explained, "At Master Foods Middle East, we believe in working together and investing in the communities in which we operate. We also recognize the important role that today's youth will play in helping shape the future of the UAE and hope that the Award will be an additional step towards fulfilling this objective."

The award is divided into two stages and in the first stage, students are expected to prepare a 3000-word research essay, which reflects what they have learnt during their university course, how this learning will be used in a working environment, and how the student wishes to apply their degree in the future.

Five finalists will be short listed from each university to move forward to stage two. The selected students will then need to prepare fifteen-minute presentation, summarizing their essay and explaining why they are the best candidates for the award. The presentation will be followed be an informal interview where they will be asked questions by the judging panel.

Master Foods will award one final winner with a crystal trophy, a cash prize of US$1000 and a two-week internship at the award winning Master Foods Middle East factory in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.

The internship will provide the winner with hands-on exposure on the manufacturing and processing practices at Master Foods Middle East. The training will also cover food production, food safety, quality assurance and control, food product development, food science research, regulations and enforcement of food laws, laboratory research and sensory analysis.

"The award has been instituted not only to recognize and reward a student who wants to achieve distinction in their chosen field but also who can best demonstrate their potential to us, " Christine concluded. "Master Foods is a major employer within the region and our policy is to hire from our local markets whenever possible. Our objective is also to help encourage local students to get a better understanding of Master Foods and how we operate."