The Department of Nutrition and Food Science (DNFS), University of Ghana, is proud to celebrate the international recognition earned by its student, Richmond Oteng Kumah, and his teammates Rudolph Zikpi and Mary Eyram Chukwu, at the 2025 International Student Packaging Design Competition in Italy. 

The international achievement followed an earlier national success at the 2024 Packaging Research and Innovation Challenge (PRIC), where the team emerged as the overall winners with their innovative packaging solution. Organised by Royal Crown Packaging Ltd. in collaboration with the Institute of Packaging Ghana, the competition provided the platform through which the team earned the opportunity to represent Ghana on the international stage.

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The team’s innovative packaging concepts earned the Best in Food Category Award and a Silver Award in Food Packaging, competing among 237 entries from across the competition. The award-winning EcoFlex concepts demonstrate how food science, packaging innovation, and sustainability can come together to address practical challenges within food systems.

Image of award presentation

The EcoFlexCool provides an evaporative cooling solution for preserving fresh produce without electricity, while the EcoFlex Basket offers a biodegradable, foldable, and stackable packaging solution for produce.

Packaging Solution

The achievement builds on the team’s success in the Packaging Research and Innovation Challenge (PRIC) organised by Royal Crown Packaging Ltd., which provided the opportunity to compete on the international stage. 

The Department is pleased to highlight this achievement as an example of the creativity, interdisciplinary thinking, and practical problem-solving encouraged among its students. It also demonstrates the potential for food science and technology students to contribute innovative solutions to challenges in food packaging, preservation, and sustainability. 

The Department congratulates Richmond Oteng Kumah, Rudolph Zikpi, and Mary Eyram Chukwu on this outstanding achievement and commends their contribution to putting the University of Ghana and the Department of Nutrition and Food Science on the international stage.

Richmond and Team members, Eyram and Rudolph

For the full University of Ghana report on the team’s international packaging awards: https://www.ug.edu.gh/news/ug-students-win-international-packaging-awards-italy-present-trophies-vice-chancellor