Member Article

Food safety culture seminar to be held in the North East

The important subject of food safety culture is to be tackled through a seminar in the North East.

The seminar, which will be held at the Blackwell Grange Hotel, Darlington, on February 27th 2018, has been developed by Stockton-based totrain, which specialise in providing training to companies working within the food industry.

Speakers will include Richard Friend, Technical Director of Sunderland-based food company Fullwell Mill; Professor John Holah, Technical Director of Bury-based chemical company Holchem; and Dr Derek Watson, a Senior Lecturer at University of Sunderland who has been investigating food safety culture in partnership with totrain.

The seminar will look at what constitutes food safety culture and how it can be evaluated in the workplace. Delegates will also be presented with a case study conducted with Fullwell Mill on how they have measured and improved their food safety culture.

Totrain Director Helen Hood says: “Businesses working in the food industry are very vulnerable as when food safety culture goes wrong, it can have devastating effects, and not just on the business.

“While the vast majority of food industry manufacturers strive for a positive food safety culture, statistics published by the Food Standards Agency between 2014 – 2016 reveal there were around 500 deaths a year caused by food borne illnesses, costing the UK nearly £1.5 billion.

“Food manufacturers and producers are under increasing pressure to ensure their practices demonstrate this culture and this seminar will explore many of the topics those operating food businesses need to understand.

“It will explore what food safety culture is, how organisations can measure food safety culture and how it directly relates to the food safety risks in a business. We will also be covering the tools and techniques a company need to implement change.”

People/businesses wishing to book a place can visit the Eventbrite website and search for food safety culture semimar in Darlington.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Neil Shaefer .