What has been your main involvement in food safety professionally?
After studying Food Technology at Reading University, I joined Unilever as a UCMDS trainee. The trainee programme was designed to provide practical hands-on work experience, combined with classroom management training. Upon completing the two year training programme, I was assigned the role of 
establishing a Raw Materials Supplier Assurance program in the Mattesson’s Walls division. This involved working very closely with procurement and auditing factories throughout Europe. After having spent time working in production,and closely with suppliers, I felt I knew very little about the marketing and sales area and asked to be transferred, cross functionally, to gain more experience. This took me into the commercial sales area, where I was trusted with the Argyll (including Safeway) portfolio, which at the time was valued at £10M. From there I continued to work for another 3 years in the commercial sales area with Van Den Burgh Foods and Cott Beverages.
Rather than the 7 year itch, it came to me after 8 years, and I decided to combine my commercial skills to the technical area and moved to PepsiCo Restaurants (Yum Brands) to be ‘Head of Food Safety’ for Central Europe, based in Poland. From Poland I moved with Yum Brands to Germany, and then onto Northern Europe, covering France, Germany and The Netherlands.
Whilst in the Netherlands I joined Cargill Grains and Oilseeds who were at the time looking to set up a more focused ‘Food Safety, Regulatory Compliance and Quality’ division across their supply chains, including 27 EU production sites. This role expanded my horizons to work closely with the regulatory team and Brussels industry federation.
Now back in the UK I have set up Howarth Food Safety Ltd which focuses on Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance for the food industry.
How have you obtained the skills necessary to support your successful involvement with food safety?
I have been very fortunate to work with some great companies, supportive managers and team members, who have trusted me in interesting and varied roles, enabling me to learn ‘on the job’. Certainly, moving cross functionally, working outside of the UK and with a wide range of product categories, has helped me to become a much more rounded and balanced individual.
The learning environment has changed dramatically, since I started out in the food industry, with so much information now available at the end of your fingertips. The challenge is no longer finding information, but has become one of knowing what you don’t know, researching, understanding, filtering and applying the knowledge.
How have you seen food safety management change over time?
One of the most significant changes for food business has been the increasing awareness and importance of brand reputation linked with 24/7 global communication. This is yet to fully filter through and can only increase the awareness and demand of high calibre technical personnel.
The technical manager of today is expected to have an effective communication skill and be able to work with external contacts and customers, as well as internal colleagues. It is also essential to understand cross functional business goals, to be able to work well as a team and raise the food safety culture in your business environment.
How important is educating school children about food safety and what do you believe is the best approach?
Education is key. Unfortunately, as time has evolved, for many knowledge of our food chains has become diluted. Education is essential to be able to put food safety in context and apply a balance of common sense with technical training.
Where to start? To have an impact, the education must be interesting and fun for the children. Certainly, I would recommend that there is coverage of:
- building and understanding, with hands on experience of a range of food supply chains to appreciate where food originates from and the steps taken before the supermarket shelf.
- food preparation in the home
- food Hygiene
What are the main food safety challenges for small food businesses and what approach would you recommend for addressing these?
The food safety area has become highly regulated with increasing complexity. For new businesses starting out, it is well worth finding a local supportive and knowledgeable food safety consultant who can lead you through the maze to enable start-ups to develop appropriate food safety systems for their product range and client base.
Programs such as SALSA Food Safety Certification are designed to support small and micro businesses. The advantage of membership includes assess to: trained mentors, tools and tips, a framework to design to your system and independent audit verification. All these areas support your food safety due diligence. Do ensure your business is registered with the local council before you start to trade, and check the support available which does vary by region.