Food manufacturing and development companies may be eligible for R&D tax credits for performing qualified research activities. For example, the following activities may be eligible for R&D tax credits:
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Performing technical research on new and/or improved ingredient formulations food products
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Reformulating existing food product(s) to eliminate a specific allergens (e.g. peanut oil) while retaining its originally intended flavor and consistency
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Developing new and/or improved cost-effective system processes for new or existing food product manufacturing
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Developing new and/or improved sterilization systems for product processing and manufacturing
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Developing new and/or improved recipe formulations for food products or flavorings to improve product consistency, shelf-life, quality, or cost reduction
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Developing new and/or improved agricultural or chemical material fillers embedded into food products
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Developing new and/or improved food product formulations to meet specific sensory requirements (acidity, smell, texture) or product consistency
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Designing new and/or improved food product formulations to achieve specified nutritional requirements (e.g. sugar or sodium content, caloric value)
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Designing new and/or improved food product formulations to achieve specified analytical requirements (e.g. pH level, brix level, acid content, and product viscosity)
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Developing new and/or improved production process specifications and techniques, including mixing times, batching sequences, or cooking temperatures and duration
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Designing new and/or improved production processes to improve efficiency or reduce manual labor costs, lead time, or waste
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Designing new and/or improved machinery or equipment for the production and testing of food products
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Designing new and/or improved packaging designs to provide enhanced functionality or increased product shelf life
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Evaluating prototype product samples for experimentation and validation of new recipe formulations
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Testing prototype samples for analytical and microbiological qualities
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Testing and evaluation of sensory prototype samples