Charlotte Ward, a process systems engineer at Nestlé Cereal Partners, recently marked a decade with the company, where she plays a key role in maintaining the quality of the popular Shreddies cereal brand. With a lifelong passion for both food and science, Ward’s career path was shaped early on, guided by her studies in food technology at A-level and further developed through a degree in nutrition and food science from the University of Nottingham.

Ward’s initial exposure to Nestlé came during a year-long placement with the company’s research and development team as part of her university degree. After graduating, she returned for maternity cover and has remained with Nestlé since. In her current role, she describes her work as "very niche," with daily tasks varying according to ongoing projects and operational needs.

As the technical expert for Shreddies, Ward supports the operations team in the production process and contributes to product innovation. Among her past projects was “Project Spooky,” an early limited-edition pumpkin spice flavour released for Halloween. More recently, she helped develop a peanut butter variant that was introduced to the market in August. Ward says she values being involved in the creation and delivery of new product lines.

Maintaining the consistent quality of Shreddies, a brand with a heritage spanning more than 70 years, remains a central focus for Ward and her team. Each day, they carry out rigorous sensory evaluations involving a panel of five to six tasters. These testers compare cereal batches produced in the preceding 12 hours against a “gold standard” sample, which represents the ideal product in terms of crunch, texture, flavour, and appearance.

“If it’s really not right we mark it down, and then we won’t release that batch because it’s not good enough quality for the consumer,” Ward explained. Shreddies’ production relies on 100% British wheat, with more than 250 kilometers of the cereal manufactured daily.

Since its launch seven decades ago, Shreddies has remained a staple in the cereal market, with ongoing efforts from Ward and her colleagues to both uphold its traditional appeal and introduce new flavors to consumers.