Cardiff - 28 January
We are excited to learn from Barbara Hirst at the HELIX Technical Conference, taking place in Cardiff on 28 January.
Held annually, this year’s conference is subtitled ‘Food and safety matters: Challenges for food and drink manufacturers’ and is free to attend for those operating within the industry. Delegates will have the opportunity to hear from industry-leading speakers and to network with peers from food and drink processing and manufacturing businesses, academia and environmental health.
The programme will explore a wide range of current and emerging issues, including food safety incidents and challenges from a Food Standards Agency (FSA) perspective, updates on food safety standards such as BRCGS and SALSA and insights into food safety and quality culture and what drives behaviour.
Sessions will also cover food hypersensitivity, including a question-and-answer discussion with two manufacturers on allergen management, as well as food safety practices from the retailer’s perspective, hygienic practices for listeria control in factories and the importance of hygienic design.
Barbara Hirst, a Senior Consultant in our Food Safety and Quality team, will be presenting ‘Using allergen reference doses to help in decision making’. Her session will explore the use - and over-use - of precautionary allergen labelling, including the often controversial ‘may contain’ statement. With limited guidance and growing mistrust among allergic consumers, risk-taking behaviour is increasing.
Barbara will examine how allergen reference doses can (and should not) be used and how better decision-making across the supply chain, manufacturers and retailers can ultimately support safer, more informed choices for consumers. Drawing on her long and distinguished career in food safety, this promises to be a thought-provoking and highly relevant discussion.
If you are attending, feel free to connect with us – we would love to here about your innovations and how our expertise could support you.
