CHAIR - SAM JENNINGS, BSC FIFST, BERRY OTTAWAY & ASSOCIATES LTD
Sam Jennings provides advice to industry and governments globally on scientific, technical and regulatory aspects of food, particularly in relation to food supplements and functional foods. She offers support for dossier production for submission to the Commission and EFSA, particularly for novel foods, food additives and health claims. Since 2006, Sam has been Technical Adviser to the Council for Responsible Nutrition UK (CRN UK). She has been a member of the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) international Technical Working Group since its conception in 2010, and was appointed Chair of this group in 2012. She has been directly involved with the Codex Committee on Food Additives since 2013 and attends the annual meetings as Head of Delegation and spokesperson for IADSA, an accredited NGO under Codex Alimentarius.
Sam is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) in the UK and is active on the IFST Food Law Group. She is also a member of the Institute of Food Technologists, USA and of the Society of Dairy Technology. Sam has authored and co-authored papers on a variety of food-related topics, and has also co-authored a number of chapters in books on food science, food technology and food law, a recent one of which has been translated and published in China and Russia. She was one of the editors of, and contributor to, the 3rd edition of the UK Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)’s ‘Technical Guide for the Manufacture of Food Supplements’ (2009) and is joint editor, and contributor to, a new text book by the CRN UK Technical Committee (publication due early 2017).
Sam has presented to governments and industry worldwide on topics including stability of food supplements, EU food law, GMP and other technical issues as required. She also runs tailored workshops for companies on EU food law and claims.
MICHAEL JACKSON, HEAD OF REGULATORY STANDARDS AND ASSURANCE, FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY
In November 2017 Michael was appointed to the position of Head of Regulatory Standards and Assurance working full time on the FSA’s Regulating Our Future Programme. Michael is leading the teams developing the new target operating model for food law regulation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is Chair of the Professions Expert Advisory Group. Prior to moving to this programme Michael was Head of Local Authority Policy and Delivery within the FSA’s Northern Ireland office.
Since joining the team at the FSA in NI in 2002, Michael has been responsible for developing a wide range of legislation and policy in relation to food safety and food standards and in his most recent post had responsibility for oversight of delivery of food official controls delivered by district councils in NI. Michael has been involved with development of the UK’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme since 2009 and recently led a project to make display of ratings at food establishments a statutory requirement in Northern Ireland. Michael has also been working closely with the new district councils in Northern Ireland, created in Aril 2015 following a programme of Local Government Reform, to build new arrangements for co-ordination and liaison and to develop an outcomes framework for the food service in Northern Ireland.
He obtained an Honours Degree in Environmental Health from the University of Ulster in 1985 and has worked for over thirty years in the NI public sector, predominantly in the area of food safety. Prior to joining the Food Standards Agency he worked in Belfast City Council where he managed the Food Safety Team.
Michael is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
HELEN MUNDAY, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, FOOD AND DRINK FEDERATION
Helen Munday re-joined the FDF in 2016 as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) having worked for the trade association as Director of Food Safety and Science earlier in her career. In her role as CSO, Helen is accountable for sustainability and the diverse food safety and science policy briefs at FDF, and also contributes to health and wellbeing policy.
Helen has a wealth of experience of the food and drink industry, having previously held senior global roles in companies such as Mars and Coca-Cola. Helen has also worked as Lead Technologist in AgriFood at Innovate UK. Helen has a high level of expertise in R&D, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs as well as Product Development and Innovation across the AgriFood chain.
Helen is also a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST).
Helen will discuss the following topics plus others during her talk on 'Potential impacts of the UK's exit from the EU on various sectors'
Regulatory affairs professionals tend to appreciate stability and certainty, so the bumpy ride we’ve experienced over the last 18 months as we head towards Brexit has been particularly uncomfortable! With just over a year to go until we leave the EU, plans for our new regulatory regime still seem somewhat elusive, due to a lack of clarity on the political front.
The Government has made clear its intention is to formally commit to Brexit at 23:00 GMT on Friday 29 March 2019, so at least we have relative certainty over the time and date of departure! This means that the majority of the enormous amount of work that needs to be done to ensure that there are no so-called ‘inoperabilities’ on the first day of Brexit, must be completed during 2018.
The production, processing, distribution, retail, packaging and labelling of food and drink is governed by a wealth of laws, regulations, codes of practice and guidance; the majority of which is in place at an EU level. All of that needs to ‘lifted and shifted’ into UK law and in some cases new provisions made, if we essentially become a ‘third country’ to the EU.
The topic of whether the UK should continue to follow the regulatory lead of the EU is a hot topic. Terms such as regulatory equivalence, mutual recognition and outcome equivalence are becoming important terms as part of this.
Gokay Sen, Regulatory Consultant, Leatherhead Food Research
Gokay Sen is a Regulatory Consultant at Leatherhead Food Research, responsible for advising on food legislation in Turkey, the EU and standards prepared by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Middle East Technical University, Ankara and postgraduate certificates from Michigan State University and De Montfort University, specialising in International Food Law and Food Marketing Law. Prior to joining Leatherhead Food Research, he worked for Yıldız Holding in Turkey as Regulatory Affairs Officer. Gokay is a native Turkish speaker and speaks fluent English.
Abstract:The Importance of Codex Alimentarius
The Codex Alimentarius exists to promote harmonised food standards & definitions and in doing so, facilitate international trade. Though voluntary in nature, signatory countries to the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreements are encouraged to follow food standards prepared by international organizations, including The Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Various relevant bodies within the United Kingdom have participated in discussions around different Codex Committees, providing science-based, neutral comments to facilitate new standard development. This involvement may become even more important post-Brexit. The EU Commission currently takes the lead on discussions surrounding EU competence, while member states can be involved within areas of their competence. Depending on various outcomes of Brexit, the UK may have the opportunity to get involved in all aspects of the discussions without following the EU lead. This presentation will cover an overview of Codex, the ways in which UK authorities are currently involved and how this may change in the future.