Food manufacturing excellence awards
Chris Elliott
Chris Elliott, professor of food safety and director of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast, has gained a high profile over the past year for his independent review into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks following last year’s horsemeat fraud scandal.
Elliott’s interim report, published last December, was unanimously well received for putting consumer interests centre stage and highlighting the changes necessary to prevent similar events occurring in the future.
The recommendations contained in his report covered a number of areas and identified weaknesses of supply chain networks in the UK. Measures were proposed to deal with the weaknesses identified based on a systems-based approach to tackling food fraud. His report called for a food crime unit to be set up within the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and responsibility for food authenticity and labelling policy to be returned to the FSA.
Elliott called on industry, government and enforcement agencies always to put the needs of consumers – notably in the fields of food safety and crime prevention – above all other considerations. He said there should be zero tolerance for food fraud, with punitive penalties for major dishonesties.
He also called for shared investment between government and industry in intelligence gathering and sharing, and said that those involved with audit, inspection and enforcement should have access to resilient, sustainable laboratory services which used consistent testing methodologies.
His report said that industry and regulators should give weight to audit and assurance regimes, while minimising duplication. It added that government support should be given for the integrity and assurance of food supply networks. He also called for clear leadership and coordination of investigations and prosecutions, with active enforcement and significant penalties for significant food crimes.
For his proposals for mechanisms to restore consumer confidence in the UK’s food supply chain, Elliott is a worthy candidate for Food Manufacture Personality of the year.
Watch our exclusive video with Elliott in which he said the government had demanded more information on the recommendations in his interim report.