Nearly 150 food and drink industry professionals have come together in Cardiff to discuss the UK's changing food safety landscape and its impact on food and drink manufacturing in Wales.
The 19th annual UK Association for Food Protection Cardiff was held at the All Nations Centre in Cardiff on Wednesday 16th November 2022 and was organised by Cardiff Metropolitan University's ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre.
Attendees heard from a range of high-profile food safety experts including Nathan Barnhouse and Professor Robin May from the Food Standards Agency, who spoke about their organisation's role in a changing food system. Other speakers included Professor John Holah from Kersia UK, who shared insights on the growing influence of hygienic design in food safety and Deb Smith, a Global Hygiene Specialist from Vikan, who shared the latest challenges and solutions in allergen management.
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.
"Each of these factors affects operating models, supply chains and the workforce. 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."
Richa Bedi-Navik, the Senior Global Standards Manager for BRCGS, the largest global food safety standard, which is used in more than 130 countries, updated attendees on recent changes which formed part of its recently launched Issue 9.
Richa Bedi-Navik, BRCGS said:
"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.
"This year's UKAFP conference provided an important opportunity for food safety professionals to come together to discuss how we can ensure that developing a strong food safety culture is a primary focus for every food manufacturer in Wales."
The presentations from this year's conference will soon be available for free at:
www.CardiffMet.ac.uk/UKAFP
