Globally, around 866 million people fall ill after eating contaminated food and 1.52 million die annually, figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) show.
In addition, US$310 billion is lost each year in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe food.
More than 200 different diseases can be triggered by unsafe food contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances. This ranges from diarrhoea to cancer.
Alongside issues ranging from the above, the sector must also navigate food fraud, which can manifest itself in several ways. Of course, such actions can also introduce safety risks, for example adulterating paprika with a carcinogenic dye.
Generally speaking, UK food and drink is considered very safe. But that doesn’t mean incidents don’t occur.
Recent events are proof of that.
And with the ever-changing food landscape, risks to the food system are set to heighten. Climate change, for example, is expected to have a significant impact on food safety, with a rise in air and water temperature likely to increase the presence of mycotoxins.
What’s next for food safety testing?
Testing forms a vital part of the food safety process and while we have some best-in-class methods, as risk evolves so too must our tools and approach.
In the second part of our annual Food Safety Briefing series, we take a look at how the testing sector is evolving, highlighting key innovations and best practice for identifying risk and improving food safety, as well as looking at what’s next.
What: The Future of Food Safety Testing
When: 21 October 3pm BST
Click here to register for the Food Safety Briefing 2026.
Meet the speakers
The session brings together several industry representatives:
James Caffyn, partner at Lever VC
James Caffyn works for leading a Venture Capital fund investing globally across the food and ag value chain. He has led multiple investments for the firm and serves as a board member and chair across several portfolio companies.
Before joining Lever VC, he was the director of strategy and due diligence at Gira, a specialist consultancy with over 60 years of experience specialising in the food and agriculture sector.
In this role, he led strategy and investment projects on the ground across 45 different countries, working with a range of leading players across the entire value chain, from farm inputs to packaging and food ingredient manufacturers, major protein producers, aquaculture firms and CPG companies, as well as private equity and institutional investors.
Caffyn will begin the webinar session with an overview of the F&B testing marketplace. He will also chair the live Q&A.
John Points, director at John Points Consulting
John Points is an expert on risks in the food supply chain from contaminants, allergens, legal non-compliance and fraud. He advises both companies and national regulators on risk management policies, surveillance testing, and incident investigation.
His career started in testing laboratories and he has held senior positions both in the food and pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors.
His consultancy work now ranges from supplier assurance policies for major brand owners to advice for start-ups and SMEs. He is a BRCGS and ISO22000 lead auditor.
He also works for low-and-middle income countries developing their food safety regulatory frameworks and national testing plans.
Clive Stephens, head of research and development, Cranswick PLC
Clive Stephens is Cranswick’s R&D lead. He brings 52 years of experience in the meat and food industry across, retailer, distribution, large and small scale food manufacturing.
He has served at Cranswick for more than two decades. Prior to this, he spent 13 years with Sainsburys as its senior meat/food technologist.
Llinos Thomas, corporate account & strategic partnerships lead for UK, Hygiena
Llinos Thomas is a food microbiology specialist with over 30 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry.
Before joining Hygiena, she held senior technical and laboratory leadership roles, including group laboratory manager and HACCP lead for a complex multi-species, multi-allergen manufacturing site, with responsibility across microbiology, food safety, quality systems and allergen management.
A certified ISO 9001:2015 lead auditor, Thomas is now works with manufacturers to strengthen food safety programmes through rapid diagnostics, environmental monitoring, molecular technologies and connected data solutions.
Sarah Coady, regional sales manager for UK & Ireland, Hygiena
Sarah Coady has extensive experience supporting food and beverage manufacturers with rapid food safety and hygiene monitoring solutions.
During her career at Hygiena, Coady has worked across territory sales and corporate accounts, giving her a broad understanding of the challenges faced by both individual manufacturing sites and multi-site organisations.
She is passionate about helping businesses use rapid testing, data and technology to strengthen food safety programmes, improve operational decision-making and drive continuous improvement across their organisations.
Register to watch Food Manufacture’s next Food Safety Briefing, here.
Part one of the Food Safety Briefing, Key Lessons From Before and New Threats On The Horizon, aired last week and is available to watch on-demand here.
