Gill Palmer
Gill has worked in technical roles in the food industry since the early 1980s and has extensive experience within the food chain from primary agriculture and manufacturing to retailing. During her career Gill has specialised in food safety, quality management and legislative compliance, including food labelling.
Gill has been actively involved at national level in the development of standards. This work has included the development of training standards for those involved in the application of HACCP principles, associated training syllabuses and examinations and, through the management of a UKAS accredited certification body, the development of the BRC Global Food Standard and the associated certification scheme. Gill was Chief Examiner for HACCP qualifications for the Royal Institute of Public Health until their merger with the Royal Society for Public Health in 2008.
Gill has worked in a wide range of manufacturing environments in the dairy, meat, canning and high risk chilled food sectors. Through the subsequent provision of technical support to many food businesses, she has sought to drive a practical but highly effective approach to the management of food safety through the application of HACCP principles. More recently she has been involved in training roles, providing those seeking to improve their knowledge of HACCP with the skills needed to maximise the benefits possible from the use of the technique. HACCP training activity includes working with personnel from small and large food, food packaging, animal feed and pharmaceutical businesses and enforcement personnel in addition to being a guest lecturer for MSc students in the practical application of HACCP.
Gill also has extensive audit experience and is a trained ‘Lead Assessor’ of quality management systems. She also has undertaken a wide range of audits for supplier assurance purposes, the assessment of companies seeking BRC Global Food Standard certification and provides an internal audit service to food companies wishing to drive improvement within their business.
Paul Neaves FIFST
Paul Neaves joined the Leatherhead Food Research Association in 1973, having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BSc in Genetics & Microbiology. During 10 years at LFRA, Paul worked mainly with Clostridium botulinum, gaining a PhD from the University of Surrey for studies on the fate of C. botulinum during UHT processing.
In 1984, Paul joined the Milk Marketing Board for England & Wales and became Deputy Manager for the Microbiology Laboratory, managing consultancy services, research projects and contract testing for the dairy industry and other food sectors. In 1994, the laboratory was acquired by LFRA and Paul returned to his former company!
In 1995, Paul teamed up with Tony Williams and formed Williams & Neaves International, offering technical information to the food industry worldwide. Paul maintains strong contacts with the dairy industry worldwide. He spends much of his time auditing food producers, notably cheesemakers, in the UK and other European countries, and is an auditor and mentor for SALSA. Paul also provides cheesemakers and the major retailers with specialist information on the safety of cheese made from unpasteurised milk and has assisted the Australian government in its hazard analysiss and risk ssessment for raw milk cheeses.
Paul is an honorary member of the Specialist Cheesemakers Association and is Chairman of the SCA Technical Committee. Together with AB Cheesemaking, Williams & Neaves designed a 4-day, practical, training course in artisan cheesemaking for Environmetal Health Officers, under the sponsorship of the Food Standards Agency. In 2005, ABC and W&N provided a participative demonstration of artisan cheesemaking to HRH The Prince of Wales.
Paula Martinez
Paula is a food scientist with over 20 years experience in the food manufacturing industry. In technical roles, Paula has managed laboratories and new product development and had the responsibility for food safety, quality and legality of a wide range of food products.
Now as a mother of 2 young daughters, she is working as a consultant involved in training food safety, HACCP and microbiology courses, working on projects, carrying out audits and developing food safety documentation.
David Green FIFST, MSOFHT
David has worked in the food industry for over 15 years in a variety of Quality Assurance, Technical and food safety management roles, both in manufacturing and retail. Whilst most of his expertise lies in the chilled food sector, experience has also been gained in fresh produce, raw and cooked meat, food storage and distribution and with High Street retailers, where he was primarily responsible for auditing and approving suppliers and food product specifications.
This exposure provided David with a thorough knowledge of food labelling and associated legislation, and has remained a large part of my career. David holds postgraduate qualifications in HACCP and food safety management, an HND in Applied Food Studies, and am also a registered food hygiene/HACCP trainer and third party auditor.