CIEH Food Safety Conference

Anthony Baldock CEnvH MCIEH, Director of Health and Wellbeing at Ashford Borough Council. As an Environmental Health Practitioner (EHP) since 1987, Anthony gained experience undertaking food inspections in the meat industry, training Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and Veterinarians. At Hastings Borough Council, he was responsible for the fish market and overseeing the largest shore-based fishing fleet in the UK. He gained extensive experience in Port Health, as the strategic lead at Crawley Borough Council where he was responsible for operations at London Gatwick Airport (LGW). This included managing the implementation of controls concerning imported food not of animal origin in 2009 along with products of animal origin and infectious disease controls related to Swine, Ebola and COVID. While at LGW, Anthony was also part of the team that linked the EU Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) to the UK Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system, speeding up customs clearances via the National Clearance Hub. Anthony then worked as a Head of Service in London Borough Council prior to joining Ashford Borough Council in June 2021 and setting up the new Port Health Service.

Bertrand Emond, Membership Ambassador and Professional Development and Culture Excellence Lead at Campden BRI. For the last 35 years, Bertrand has been helping companies of all sizes from all parts of the agri-food chain to survive and grow. He has taken part in a number of local, regional, national and international initiatives aiming to support businesses with respect to Quality, Safety, Efficiency/Sustainability and Innovation. As a stakeholder at the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), Bertrand was a member of the following working groups: Food Safety Culture 2016-18, Services Technical 2019-20 and Auditor Training and Professional Development 2020-21. He also worked as a member of the 2020-22 steering committee for PAS 320 “A practical guide to a culture of food safety” at the British Standards Institution (BSI); a stakeholder in the UK Competencies for Food Graduate Careers Project at the University of Nottingham; a member of the Food Safety Education and Food Safety Culture Professional Development Groups at the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP); President of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) British Section; and co-organiser of the Ecotrophelia UK eco-innovation student competition. In 2020, Bertrand won the BRCGS CEO Europe Award, recognising his commitment and contribution to food safety and the Heinz Award for Excellence for Leadership in Collaborative CPD for the Industry.

Darren Davies, Head of the National Food Crime Unit at the Food Standards Agency (FSA). David has been the Head of the National Food Crime Unit at the FSA since January 2019, prior to which he served almost 31 years as a police officer, the most recent of which was as the Deputy Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police, having also served as Assistant Chief Constable on secondment to the Metropolitan Police. Darren was involved in combating both serious organised crime and terrorism for over 20 years, and led on a number of UK wide initiatives to improve joint working and collaboration in these arenas. 

Elizabeth Davies, Senior Policy Advisor, Food Standards Agency (FSA). Elizabeth is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Novel Foods team at the FSA. She works to support novel food applications through the regulatory process, as well as policy development, with a particular focus on alternative proteins. Before joining the FSA in late 2021, she worked for six years in the Australian Government, within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. During this time, Elizabeth gained a broad range of experience across regulatory reform, strategic policy and infrastructure projects. 

Helen Atkinson, Senior Environmental Health Officer at Wakefield Council. As a Primary Authority Account Manager, Helen is responsible for a wide range of partnerships in terms of business size and scope of legislation. These partnerships include Morrisons, Gravity Fitness, Primark, Next Distribution Ltd, Next Retail Ltd, EC4 Hotel Ltd, The British Frozen Food Federation, Arla Foods Ltd, Kuehne & Nagel Ltd, Deliveroo, Escapeologist and Vue Entertainment Ltd. Helen has contributed to national regulatory policy decisions, worked with a wide range of groups, and currently chairs the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) Warehousing Expert Panel. She has worked in all areas of environmental health, including pollution and environmental protection at Barnsley Council.

Ian Bowles, Business Change and Collaboration Consultant at the UK’s Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). The registered not-for-profit environmental charity WRAP, works with businesses, individuals, and communities to achieve a circular economy, helping them to reduce waste, develop sustainable products, and use resources in an efficient way. Before joining WRAP, Ian was Head of Sustainability and External Affairs at Premier Foods for 8 years. Prior to this, he was Group Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Asda for 6 years.

Katie Doherty, CEO at The International Meat Trade Association (IMTA). Katie has worked for IMTA for nearly 10 years. She took over as CEO in March 2019. Katie is an expert in international customs and trade within the meat sector. She represents the association in a wide range of forums across Government. Katie received a distinction for her Diploma in World Customs Compliance and Regulations with The Institute of Export in 2019. She is also a graduate of International History from the London School of Economics (LSE).

Katie Pettifer, Strategy Director at the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Katie is responsible for the FSA’s strategy, communications, legal and governance work and she leads the FSA’s Achieving Business Compliance Programme, which is reforming the way that food businesses are regulated by local authorities. Before joining the FSA in July 2021, Katie was the Public Policy Director at Ofcom, where she played a major role in shaping Ofcom’s work to improve mobile and broadband coverage across the UK and to develop new regulation to protect people from harmful content online. She also led on Ofcom’s diversity and inclusion strategy. Before that, Katie spent two decades in the civil service, and held senior roles in the Ministry of Justice, the Cabinet Office and the Northern Ireland Office.

Nigel Benwell, Chief of Staff of the Biosecurity, Borders and Trade programme at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). As Chief of Staff, Nigel has specific responsibility for strategic engagement, delivery assurance and risk management. He has previously worked with Defra on its Future Farming and Countryside Programme and in contingency preparations for exit from the EU. A former Army officer with extensive operations and planning experience, he was the programme director for the UK’s flagship Afghan National Army Officer Academy in Kabul and led the logistical planning for operations in Libya and the Middle East. He specialises in providing crisis management and strategic planning advice to Government and industry.

Professor Robin May, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Professor of Infectious Disease at the University of Birmingham. As the FSA’s Chief Scientific Adviser since July 2020, Professor May provides expert scientific advice to the UK government and plays a critical role in helping to understand how scientific developments will shape the work of the FSA. He is responsible for the integrity of the science and evidence that underpins FSA activities, as well as for communicating the FSA’s evidence-based approach to other government departments, external stakeholders and consumers.

Professor May’s early training was in Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford, followed by a PhD on mammalian cell biology at University College London and the University of Birmingham. He was Director of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham from 2017-2020. Now a Wolfson Royal Society Research Merit Fellow and Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, Professor May specialises in research into human infectious diseases, with a particular focus on how pathogens survive and replicate within host organisms.

Saasha Celestial-One MBA, Co-Founder and COO of OLIO, a free app harnessing the power of mobile technology and the sharing economy to provide a revolutionary solution to the problem of food waste. OLIO is growing quickly, empowered by over 70,000 volunteers. Since 2016, 5,000,000 “OLIOers” have shared over 42,000,000 portions of food in 62 countries. Before OLIO, Saasha founded London’s first pay-as-you-go high street childcare provider, and prior to that she spent 13 years at Morgan Stanley, McKinsey & American Express. Saasha has an MBA from Stanford and was named one of the UK’s “Coolest Female Founders” by Business Insider.

Sterling Crew CEnvH FCIEH, Independent Scientific Advisor and Chair of the Food Authenticity Network’s Advisory Board. Sterling sits on the Board of Trustees for CIEH and has over 35 years' experience working in the food industry. He has experience working in the fields of food safety, governance, horizon scanning, sustainability and innovation. Sterling is an experienced food sector director, who holds a portfolio of positions including Independent Scientific Advisor at Campden BRI where he also sits on their Board. He is Chair of the Advisory Board of the Food Authenticity Network and Co-Founder of Kitchen Conversation with Dr Lisa Ackerley. He is a Managing Director of SQS, Strategic Advisor at Shield Safety Group and to Dynamic Risk Indicator. He also sits on the audit governance board at Eurofins.

Stephanie Appiah-Anderson, Environmental Health Officer at Ealing Borough Council. Stephanie is currently serving on the CIEH board of trustees while working as a graduate environmental health officer at a local authority in West London focusing on food safety. She is in the process of completing her Competency Development Portfolio (CDP) and the chartered practitioner programme. Stephanie has previously worked in the private sector as a food safety advisor and trainer, providing guidance and advice to several businesses within hospitality and retail.

Tam Fry, Chairman of the National Obesity Forum. Tam is a BBC television director by trade and has been Chairman of the National Obesity Forum since 2016. In taking up this position he added government and media relations to the portfolio of an essentially medical organisation. Currently, his main activity is challenging government to get serious about tackling obesity and developing strategies that will prevent children from becoming obese. Without addressing the problem at the source he believes that obesity will remain a UK health crisis for a long time. In addition to his day job, he is also patron of the Child Growth Foundation and expert external adviser to the campaign group Action on Sugar.

Tayo Irawo, Food Safety Consultant and Trainer. Tayo is a Principal Trainer for BRCGS Food Safety, and Storage and Distribution Standards, and she also offers bespoke training solutions, including product safety management courses. Tayo has technical experience in food manufacturing and worked as a Marks & Spencer food technologist. She is an experienced food safety auditor, including second and third-party audits in the manufacturing and catering sectors. A graduate of food science from South Bank University, Tayo is currently undertaking her doctoral studies in food safety culture at Cardiff Metropolitan University, where she is also an Associate Tutor.

Una Kane MSc CEnvH MCIEH, Environmental Health Manager, Food and Safety Team at Rother and Wealden District Councils. Una is a Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner with thirty five years’ experience. In her career Una had the unique experience of a secondment to the Department of Health and was a founder member of the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) food hygiene group in 1998. She served as a Food Hygiene Adviser until she retired from the LACORS group after being Chair in 2009/10. She believes the focus of a food safety team is the protection of public health and that operational effectiveness combined with a sixth sense for wrongdoing is the key to achieving this. In recent years Una established the export hub at Rye with the fish exporters Chapmans.