IFST Spring Conference focuses on food challenges and opportunities

The conference, ‘Securing the future supply of food: Challenges and Opportunities’, will be jointly hosted with the Institute of Food Research (IFR) in Norwich.

Taking centre stage will be the latest thinking on food science and technology to determine how best to address key food supply challenges. 

The conference aims to draw on speakers’ presentations to produce practical messages, which will signpost possible solutions to key supply chain challenges.

Food supply chain​

Jon Poole, IFST chief executive, told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “I am very excited about this conference. We have a really strong programme of world-class speakers looking at a very practical set of issues all concerned with ensuring a more integrated food supply chain.  Our conference will tackle very current issues such as the over-use of antibiotics in animals through to the role of Asian seafood aquaculture in ensuring the security of fish supplies.​

“For me, it is critical that this event delivers some very practical outcomes. To this end, we have planned a special chaired discussion for our concluding session with an excellent line-up of high-profile panellists to ensure we come away with a set of key messages drawn from the whole conference.   ​

“We already have a great degree of interest for the conference, which should ensure lively discussion and debate throughout the event."​

Chief scientist​

The keynote session will be delivered by professor Ian Crute, chief scientist at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, who will deliver a presentation entitled 'Sustainable production: the foundation of secure food supply'.

Other speakers include:

• Andy Dawe, head of food and drink, with the Waste Resources Action Programme,  on ‘Preventing waste from farm to fork’
• Professor Dave Little, Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling on ‘Sustaining European seafood security – the role of Asian aquaculture’  
• Professor Harry Blokhuis, Department of Animal Environment and Health Section Ethology and Animal Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences on ‘Safeguarding and improving animal welfare’
• Jeff Jones, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency on ‘Reducing the over-use of antibiotics’
• Professor Cathie Martin, Norwich Plant Sciences, on ‘Modern biotechnology research including GM and its implications on the food supply chain’
• Graham Redman, the Andersons Centre on ‘The impact on the food chain of using crops for non-food products’
• Professor Ilias Kyriazakis, School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development , Newcastle University on ‘Protein sources for livestock: what are the alternatives?’

The final session – Making sense of these complex challenges – will be chaired by IFR’s Tim Brocklehurst.

The conference is intended for agronomists and other technical specialists within primary production, technical and procurement specialists within food manufacturing companies and retailers, government policy makers, non-governmental organisations with an interest in land use and the food chain and food science and technology students.

Register for the IFST Spring Conference here.