Nearly 150 industry professionals discussed food safety in the United Kingdom at an event organized by an affiliate of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP).

The 19th annual UK Association for Food Protection (UKAFP) was held at the All Nations Centre in Cardiff, Wales in mid-November and was organized by Cardiff Metropolitan University’s ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre. 

Attendees heard from food safety experts such as Nathan Barnhouse and professor Robin May from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), on the authority’s role in a changing food system.

Other speakers included professor John Holah from Kersia UK, who shared insights on hygienic design in food safety. Holah is also the president of UKAFP.

Deb Smith, a hygiene specialist from Vikan, presented on challenges and solutions in allergen management; Carol Wallace, from the University of Central Lancashire, spoke about HACCP and Sarah Hall shared changes in Issue 6 of the Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA) standard.

Sharing best practice
Professor David Lloyd, director at ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, said: “The UK’s food and drink safety landscape has seen many changes over recent years including the impact of the UK’s departure from the EU in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, an acceleration in the pace of new technologies which have shifted the way people are buying food, an increase in the awareness of the impact of food production on our planet, and growing concerns around food affordability and its nutritional content. 

“As food safety professionals, it’s important for us to come together to discuss how we can respond to a constantly evolving food safety landscape and plan for a sustainable, healthy, and safe future for consumers.”

Supported by the Welsh Government, ZERO2FIVE works with food and drink companies of all sizes to provide support with factory design, start-up advice, new product development, hygienic design, third-party certification, and global food standards compliance, food safety, authenticity and security, food and labeling legislation and market analysis.

Richa Bedi-Navik, senior global standards manager for BRCGS, updated attendees on recent changes in its recently launched Issue 9. 

“One of the core themes of the new issue of the BRCGS Global Standard is the importance of developing a positive food safety culture and its role in ensuring the effective implementation of food safety management systems, which in turn help to prevent product safety incidents.” 

A number of posters were also presented looking at topics such as hand hygiene at a sandwich factory, milking practices on dairy farms, food safety information in meal kit recipes, and Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) inspection reports.

Presentations from the conference are available for free here.

Other upcoming IAFP events include the European Symposium on Food Safety which will be held from May 3 to 5, 2023 in Aberdeen, Scotland.