Food crime, Benedict’s Law and high Salmonella levels headline discussions at CIEH Food Safety Conference

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) brought together leading experts, regulators and practitioners for its flagship Food Safety Conference 2026, which took place across two packed days.

The conference provided environmental health professionals with critical updates, insights and practical case studies on some of the most pressing food safety issues facing the UK today, including food crime, allergens, evolving legislation, global supply pressures and emerging public health risks.

Day one opened with an update from the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), covering emerging food crime threats, future priorities, enforcement developments and recent successful prosecutions.

Andy Quinn, Head of the NFCU, presented delegates with some eye-catching stats for 2025/26 including that there had been 50 seizures, including 48,584kg of illegal meat, as well as £110,000 secured in successful Crown Court confiscation/cash seizure orders and nine arrests and five convictions resulting in a combined total of 72 months imprisonment and 46 months in suspended imprisonment.

Delegates also heard about Benedict's Law, which was passed earlier this year and commits to introducing mandatory statutory allergy guidance for schools in England.

The session was led by Sarah Knight, Founder of The Allergy Team, who examined the requirements for allergy management in schools, the risks posed by allergies and the important role local authority officers play in supporting compliance and protecting children.

Another highlight of day one saw CIEH Trustee and public health advocate Sterling Crew present on behalf of the British Egg Industry Council and explored the risks imported eggs pose to food safety, animal welfare and the UK economy.

He explained that 1.6 billion eggs were imported in 2025, up from 1 billion in 2021, with eight million kilos imported from Ukraine, up 65% year on year, with there being significant food safety issues linked to both Ukrainian and Polish eggs.

The day also featured a practical local authority case study from Blackpool Council, showcasing its tougher and more proactive approach to food safety enforcement.

Day two began with two keynote presentations examining major developments affecting environmental health professionals.

The first keynote, delivered by Jessica Merryfield, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), explored the Product Regulation and Metrology (PRAM) Act 2025 and its implications for Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and the importance of sharing intelligence.

The second keynote was delivered by Anthony Baldock, CIEH Port Health Advisory Panel member and Director of Health and Wellbeing at Ashford Borough Council, who presented on a day in the life of Sevington inland border facility, as well as looking at the implications of the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement.

Other key sessions on day two included a presentation from Hannah Charles, Lead Epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), on the highest levels of Salmonella infections seen in a decade, which also touched on concerns on cases linked to imported eggs.

Delegates also heard a discussion examining the ongoing debate around ultra-processed foods and their implications for public health, led by Professor John O Warner from Imperial College London, in which he looked at whether at a time when ever more ultra-processed foods are being consumed and Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) prevalence has increased, is this cause of consequence?

The conference concluded with further real-world enforcement case studies from local government. Christina Hill, Head of Shared Regulatory Services for Bridgend, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, presented recent cases including the prosecution of a business for selling food beyond its use-by date and a complex halal meat fraud investigation.

Sterling Crew, CIEH Trustee and Food Advisory Panel member, who chaired the conference, said:

“We would like to thank everyone who attended this year's Food Safety Conference and helped make it such a valuable and engaging event.

"The quality of the programme was outstanding, and we are extremely grateful to all our speakers for sharing their expertise, insights and real-world experiences on some of the most important issues facing food safety professionals today. Their presentations generated excellent discussion and provided delegates with practical knowledge they can take back into their roles.

"It was particularly encouraging to see so many environmental health professionals come together to learn from one another, share experiences and explore solutions to the challenges facing the sector. One of the standout points of the conference for me was the great interaction with the delegates who made some important insights and asked great questions.

“We hope everyone who attended found the conference informative, relevant and beneficial to their work."

For more information about CIEH events and training opportunities, visit: https://www.cieh.org/events/