Food Safety Briefing: 2020 and beyond, a new era for food standards

Recently, the Food Manufacture’s Food Safety Briefing exclusively revealed the results of their annual survey of thousands of food and drink manufacturers across the UK.

The briefing, which was chaired by chief executive of Campden BRI, Steven Walker, featured presentations from five different industry experts who all touched on the subject of food fraud. The speakers included, Rod Addy, editor of Food Manufacture, Gary Ridgewell, head of technical at Sleaford Quality Foods, and Dr Derek Watson SFHEA, associate professor in cultural management at the University of Sunderland.

Rod Addy began the presentations by revealing some of the key findings from the survey. Results indicated that there was considerable concern among manufacturers that food standards will fall post-Brexit, which could result in a food fraud risk.

Looking back over the past year, Gary Ridgewell highlighted in his presentation that there has been an increase in crop shortages, which has heightened the occurrence of food fraud. In particular, Gary mentioned that spices are still an area of concern, with recent incidents of brick powder being substituted into chilli powder and peppercorns being replaced with papaya seeds.

Due to this, Gary emphasised the importance of sourcing products from certified suppliers to reduce the risk of experiencing food fraud. He also spoke of the benefits fiin membership gives to food and drink organisations, as the network is constantly horizon scanning to keep ahead of the curve to identify potential upcoming issues.

The final speaker, Dr Derek Watson, revealed that the recalling of food and drink products due to incorrect labelling has increased by 62%. This can severely tarnish brand identity and impact revenue.

There is also an added concern around food procedures once we leave the EU. For example, customs checking, and labelling, may not face as strict regulations in a no-deal situation, which could mean criminals are more likely to commit food fraud.

fiin members update

January 2020 will mark the fourth annual members meeting since the organisation was established in 2015.

To become a member of fiin or to find out more, please contact us.