Two Wales prosecutions among highlights at upcoming Safe Food Conference

The countdown is on for an annual conference for environmental health professionals taking place later this month which will tackle issues impacting food safety.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Safe Food Conference 2025, in partnership with UKHospitality, will feature expert insight from a range of speakers on legislation, policies and real-world case studies.

Christina Hill, Operational Manager – Health and Public Protection at Vale of Glamorgan Council, will be presenting on two prosecutions her team have led on over the past year which are sure to be of great interest to delegates.

These are a prosecution against supermarket Asda for selling food past its use-by-date in two of its Cardiff branches which resulted in a fine of £640,000, as well as two food wholesalers who were sentenced for selling non-halal chicken as halal to food businesses across South Wales.

The conference will see two sessions from representatives from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), with Beth Chaudhary, Director of Strategy & Regulatory Compliance kicking the event off with a session on food safety priorities for 2026, while Rebecca Waugh, Senior Intelligence Officer – LA Intelligence Coordination, will talk about the FSA’s food intelligence training and where environmental health can bridge a gap.

Other organisations speaking at the event include the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) whose Chief Executive William Roberts will speak on workforce issues in the sector and specific challenges for food businesses.

UKHospitality will be exploring its new incidents guide in a session led by Policy Director Jim Cathcart and Food Policy Adviser Darryl Thomson, while Simon Rutledge, Group External Affairs & Sustainability Manager at Biffa Waste Services Ltd, will be speaking about simpler recycling legislation and the implications for environmental health.

Dr Lisa Ackerley, Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner and founder of Public Health Company Ltd, is chairing the event and said:

“Food safety is a cornerstone of public health, and the challenges we face are evolving rapidly. The CIEH Safe Food Conference 2025 brings together regulators, industry leaders, and environmental health professionals to share knowledge, tackle emerging risks, and ensure we continue to protect consumers with the highest standards.

“The 2025 programme is packed full of expert speakers and topics which will be of great interest to those working in this area and I look forward to welcoming delegates to what I’m sure will be a hugely informative and engaging event.”

The online half-day conference takes place on Tuesday, 25 November. To view the full programme and book a place visit www.cieh.org/events/2025/november/cieh-safe-food-conference/