Food Allergy
Human, Analytical & Regulatory Implications
Hosted by
Institute for Global Food Security
Queen’s University Belfast and Safefood
Monday 21st October 2019
The Conference
21st October
9:30 am
We warmly invite you to attend this one day conference, which brings together experts and various stakeholders in the fields of food allergens, including various food industries, SMEs, research institutions, associations and regulatory bodies. This special mix of scientific and practical input to the symposium will be a valuable opportunity to grow your knowledge base, learn from practical experiences, and exchange ideas with peers.
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This meeting will examine the consumer perspective and discuss effective food allergen management and challenges faced by the food industry/food manufacturers, food production auditors and representatives from the regulatory environment including the use of precautionary labelling.
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There will be a discussion on allergen analysis including new innovations, reference materials but in the absence of threshold doses with an industry perspective and legal implications.
We hope to welcome you!
About Queen's University
The Institute For Global Food Security - Queen's University Belfast
Queen’s University Belfast is one of the leading universities in the UK and Ireland, with a distinguished heritage and history. With over 24,000 students, 3,700 staff and an annual turnover of some £300m, Queen’s University Belfast plays a unique leadership role in Northern Ireland. As a member of the Russell Group of UK research-intensive universities, Queen’s University Belfast combines excellence in research and education with a student centred ethos.
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The Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) is a designated Global Research Institute in the University. The Institute aims to develop solutions to the complex problem of delivering safe, nutritious, sustainable and authentic food supplies to the world’s population. IGFS encompasses a wide range of topics including, for example, crop and animal science, food production and engineering, waste management, climate change, nutrition, human health and human rights. The Institute takes a holistic approach to food security challenges using cutting-edge research activities right across the spectrum of food security research, to span the environment-farm-food-health-economics that redefines global food security research. In 2019 the Institute and School of Biological Sciences (SoBS) have co-located in a purpose built £39 million building integrating research, education, enterprise and knowledge exchange.
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The Institute has flourished since establishment as a GRI in 2014 and now has 76 Principal Investigators and associated research fellows and postgraduate research students.
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The Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast plays a major role in delivering safe, sustainable and authentic food to the world’s population and has become globally recognised for its excellence in research and was ranked number one for research intensity in the UK for agriculture veterinary and food science.
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IGFS hosted by SoBS has fuelled interdisciplinary research and impact across Schools and the opportunity to continue to build both internally across Schools and externally with major globally leading research institutions is vast. The Institute also has a large industry engagement arm built around our academic base and today consists of over 100 companies.
Safefood
Safefood
Safefood is an all-island implementation body set up under the British-Irish Agreement with a general remit to promote awareness and knowledge of food safety and nutrition issues on the island of Ireland.
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Their activities include, the promotion of food safety, research in food safety, communication of nutritional advice, promotion of scientific co-operation and laboratory linkages, provision of independent scientific advice and the delivery of consumer focused reviews.
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Safefood promotes the awareness and knowledge of food safety and healthy eating issues across Ireland. Safefood is assisted by an advisory committee of experts with a range of expertise, experience and backgrounds.
Participants
150
Topics
4
Sessions
4
Speakers
12
Proud to bring inspirational speakers from across the globe
Chairpersons and Speakers
Chairpersons
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Professor Katrina Campbell
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Katrina is a Professor in Food Security at the Institute for Global Food Security, Queens University Belfast. Katrina has substantive experience in the development of diagnostic tools to ensure food security, safety in contaminant monitoring and sustainability in their applicability within the food supply chain. She has extensive experience of (bio) analytical method development, validation and evaluation with state of the art technologies. Her research focuses on the identification and recognition of known and emerging threats within the entire food supply chain from “environment to farm to fork”, to determine their consequential effects and to implement mitigation tools to prevent negative health and/or economic implications.
Dr James McIntosh
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Dr James McIntosh is a toxicologist working for safefood, the all-island Food Safety Promotion Board. A European Registered Toxicologist, his work involves the creation of scientific programmes aimed at fostering cooperation and linkages across the food chain that augment the protection of public health. James has a particular interest in food hypersensitivity and has co-ordinated a number of training programmes for regulators, catering and hospitality students, early childhood providers and others throughout the island of Ireland on food allergen management. He coordinates research funding for chemical food safety and food hypersensitivity issues and manages the Expert Group of the safefood Knowledge Network. James graduated in Biochemistry from University College Cork where he also completed his PhD thesis. He obtained his MSc in Toxicology from the University of Surrey while working in the Pesticide Control Service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in Dublin. James is a former President of the Irish Society of Toxicology.
Gary McFarlane
Director CIEH NI
Gary McFarlane holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Environmental Health and an MBA
both from the University of Ulster. Gary was appointed as the Director for the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) in Northern Ireland in late 2001 www.cieh-nireland.org. The CIEH is a national, professional, charitable organisation whose mission is to maintain, enhance and promote improvements in public health through knowledge, understanding and campaigning. As director, he is involved in contributing to the development of healthy public policy working with government ministers and departments, local authorities, universities, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and the private sector.Currently much of this work seeks to assist in re-establishing the critical links between environment and health within the context of sustainable development and public health. This includes advocacy work with policy makers and politicians as well as working with practitioners, academics and researchers to build awareness, understanding and capacity in this area. Gary has authored and contributed to several policy papers/publications and delivered presentations on these topics at regional, national and international level. Gary is currently the lead within CIEH on sustainable development issues, including developing the organisations own credentials through the introduction of sustainable, strategic management, corporate governance and operations. He was centrally involved in the creation of the Belfast Food Network and the initial submission of the bid for a bronze award for Belfast as a Sustainable Food City. He sits on the Belfast Food network Advisory Board.
Mr Michael Bell
Michael Bell has held the position of Executive Director of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) for over 20 years. He has over 35 years’ experience in the food and drink industry, working in various food retail positions in Northern Ireland and Malta prior to joining NIFDA.
Michael holds an honours Degree in Food Science and is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a Chartered Food Scientist and a Chartered Director. He also has a Leaders in Industry Programme Food and Drink Manufacturing sector award from Queen’s University, Belfast, and is currently Senior Vice-Chair of the Northern Ireland Agricultural Research and Development Council (AgriSearch) and a member of Safefood’s Expert Advisory Committee.
In addition, Michael is a member of the Northern Ireland Food and Feed Advisory panel for the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland and a board member of Agri-Quest - the Food Innovation Competence Centre. He is actively involved in lobbying the UK government on issues pertinent to the food and drink sector in Northern Ireland and recently joined a new 15-strong advisory panel to explore alternatives to the Brexit backstop for the Irish Border.
In his spare time, Michael enjoys sailing and hill walking, as well as good food and drink.
Dr Mary Dobbs
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Mary is a lecturer in Queen’s University Belfast, where she specialises in environmental law. Within this she focuses on environmental governance, agriculture and genetically modified crops, as well as addressing the particular challenges posed by Brexit. Mary also has undertaken extensive research on the precautionary principle in the context of environmental protection and also EU food law. Recent publications include pieces on the multilevel governance of GMOs in the Journal of Environmental Law, the enclosure of plant genetic resources via patenting in the Common Market Law Review and the challenges for environmental governance in Northern Ireland in light of Brexit in the Environmental Law Review. Mary is currently writing a book on Brexit and Agriculture with Ludivine Petetin from Cardiff Law School for Routledge, has given evidence several times to parliamentary inquiries related to Brexit and is working with NGOs and agribusiness on these issues.
Speakers
Dr Hazel Gowland BA, PGCE, MREHIS, FIFST, FRSPH
Expert patient advocate, researcher and trainer - Allergy Action
Visiting Fellow – University of Southampton School of Medicine
Hazel has had severe allergies to nuts and peanuts since early childhood. She was involved in shaping the Anaphylaxis Campaign from 1994 and established Allergy Action in 2000. In 2018 she was awarded a PhD for a thesis on Food allergy: innovation in advocacy, research and training to support and protect those at risk. Her work involves investigating fatal and ‘near miss’ allergic reactions, providing guidance and family support, supplying data to UK Fatal Anaphylaxis Registry and examining the regulatory aspects of consumer protection for those at risk. She continues to shape and deliver allergen management consultancy and training with leading suppliers, manufacturers, caterers and a wide range of food business operators including schools, universities, hospitals and care workplaces. She is a member of the Scientific Committee of the IFST and the Food Special Interest Group of the RSPH. She lectures on university Masters programmes, and works closely with food industry experts and regulators at international, UK and local authority level to support best practice and reduce risks.
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Professor Clare Mills
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After a short spell in London at the Department of health after Clare completed her PhD she went to work at the BBSRC Institute of Food Research (IFR) in Norwich where she became a head of the Physical Biochemistry Group in 1999. In 2005 she took over the leadership of the food material science research at IFR and working with four other research leaders developed a new programme of research relating food structure to health benefits of foods. This took the largely physical sciences knowledge base derived from food behaviour during food processing in a factory environment and applying it to understanding environmental responsiveness of foods during digestion in the biological-processing environment of the gastrointestinal tract. Specifically the programme sought to gain an understanding of the rules governing the assembly of natural and fabricated food structures (including nano-scale structures), their subsequent disassembly during digestion and uptake by the gut epithelium. This has also involved promoting a transdisciplinary approach, linking physical scientists with physiologists, clinicians and psychologists to achieve its overall aims and goals. In her capacity as a BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme Grant leader she was also a member of the IFR Executive Board.
In 2011 she moved to the University of Manchester to take up her current position. Based in the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and working with the Respiratory and Allergy Research team at the University Hospital of South Manchester led by Professor Adnan Custovic, she is now applying her molecular science to understand, better diagnose and treat food allergies. This research stems from work she had done through a series of projects funded across several EU Framework Programmes. Through these projects she developed a network of researchers that put forward the expression of interest on food allergy which subsequently the consortium applied for, and won, and came on to become the EuroPrevall project. Spanning 17 countries, including India, China, Russia and Ghana, it had 63 partners spanning clinical science, epidemiology, social science, biochemical and immunological sciences, academia and industry. After moving to the University of Manchester she formed a further partnership which won the €9M, 38 partner, iFAAM project. This seeks to exploit much of the knowledge gained in EuroPrevall to develop tools and approaches to enable more effective management of food allergies. Future efforts will be focused on realising the potential of the data and biological samples (including DNA) collected in EuroPrevall and followed up in iFAAM to understand the basis of food allergies and deliver more effective management strategies. These two projects represent the largest block of funding ever awarded for food allergy research.
Sharon Gilmore
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Sharon Gilmore is Head of Standards and Dietary Health at the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland. A Chartered Member of Institute of Environmental Health, Sharon’s career includes engagement with food manufacturers on the enforcement of food safety and standards legislation and the introduction of the Food Information Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014. This provision, Regulation (EU) No.1169/2011 (EU FIC), to enhance the availability of allergen information for consumers, both on prepacked and non-prepacked foods that contain an allergenic substance or product, is now being progressed to consider allergen information available on food products prepacked for direct sale.
Lynn Patterson
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Lynn holds a BA (with commendation) in Home Economics from Queens College, Glasgow. She has worked in several areas of the food industry both in product development and Quality before moving into training and consultancy. Lynn is a registered trainer for HIghfield qualifications and RSPH and is visiting lecturer at Queens University, Belfast. Lynn set up LP Associates in 2002, however has been doing a similar role for another company and on a freelance basis since 1998. She is Director and principal trainer and consultant within the company. LP Associates deliver all levels of food hygiene training, HACCP, internal auditing and train the trainer qualifications as well as industry bespoke quality management training. LP Associates advise companies in setting up of both food safety and quality systems and support them by advising on procedures and best practices and requirements of both legislation and industry standards such as BRC.
Dr Helen Dodds
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Helen Dodds graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Sciences from Salford University in 1999. Helen started her career in Environmental Health at Sodexho as an Environmental Health Executive before moving to Local Authority in 2002. Helen worked for Bradford and Calderdale Councils before moving to Salford City Council in 2004 where she worked for 9 years, five of which were in the role of Team Leader in the food and health and safety team. Helen then moved on to the private sector spending two years in the care sector and then a further two years working as an associate food and safety consultant. In September 2016 Helen joined Hyndburn Council as interim lead officer and during this time was involved in the joint investigation into the death of Megan Lee following consumption of a takeaway meal. In April 2017 Helen chose to move back into local authority as the Food and Safety Manager at Hyndburn Council and has since been integral in partnership working with colleagues across Lancashire and beyond to drive improvements around allergen controls in catering premises, shape policy and increase awareness amongst colleagues via best practice day developments, toolkits and resources.
Helen Morrissey
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Helen Morrissey graduated from the University of Ulster in 1994 with a First Class Honours Degree in Environmental Health and received the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Bronze Ronald Williams Award in recognition as one of the best final year students across the UK. She completed her MSc in Environmental Health Protection and Safety in 2003 and became a Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner in 2004.
Helen has worked in Belfast City Council since graduating and is currently a Senior Environmental Health Officer in the Food Safety and Port Health Team. For the last two years, she has been Lead Officer for Food Standards including all issues relating to allergens. As well as providing advice and support to food businesses, Helen has carried out and overseen several significant investigations relating to allergens and allergic reactions.
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Julie Barratt
Julie Barratt is the owner of Julie Barratt Legal Training, and a highly respected legal trainer. She designs and delivers training on a wide variety of legal topics to local authorities, professional groups and private clients and had delivered training on behalf of Welsh Government and the Government of Gibraltar.
She qualified as public health inspector in 1981 and practised environmental health before being called to the Bar in 1993. She has extensive experience of advising and representing local authorities. She writes a regular legal column in Environmental Health News and is a regular media contributor.
Pauline Titchener
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Pauline Titchener studied Food Technology at the University of Glasgow. Following graduation, she worked at the food indusry in both quality assurance and new product development roles. For the last 10 years, she has been working for Neogen Europe, a leading manufacturer of food safety diagnostic tests. She is currently responsible for the business development of the allergen and speciation diagnostic ranges accross Europe.
Adrian Rogers
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Adrian Rogers has been with Romer Labs for 9 years in his role as a Senior Research Scientist. He is responsible for research and development within Romer's allergen competence center based in the UK.
Before joining Romer Labs, Adrian was an R&D Scientist involved in the development of ELISA and Lateral Flow immunoassays for the detection of food allergens. Adrian is a microbiologist by training and has 18 years experience in the development of immunoassays, 16 years of which have been spent developing test kits for the detection of food allergens. Adrian has been involved in a number of food allergy projects including EuroPrevall, an EU funded multidisciplinary integrated project which investigated the prevalence of food allergy across Europe. He is currently a member of the University of Manchester's Food allergen network and co-ordinated Romer Labs’ contribution to the “Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Project”, with the University of Manchester looking at improving soya allergen analysis.
Dr Michael Walker
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A published scientist Michael is also comfortable in strategy and policy. His current portfolio includes several strands:
* Referee Analyst and Head of the Office the Government Chemist in the UK National Measurement Laboratory hosted in LGC
* Member of the FSA/DH Committee on Toxicity (COT), joint expert group on food contact materials
* Owner of a thriving chemico-legal private practice, Michael Walker Consulting Ltd, based on the island of Ireland
* Member of the European Academy of Allergy & Clinical Immunology
* Member of the IFST Scientific Committee.
Michael was a subject matter expert to the UK ‘Elliott Review’ in the aftermath of the horse meat scandal and has held several non-exec board positions including as a founder board member of the UK Food Standards Agency. He is a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of both IFST (Institute of Food Science & Technology) and RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry), and holds the MChemA, the statutory qualification to act as a Public Analyst (Official Food Control scientist) in the UK. His PhD thesis was entitled “Safeguarding Food: Advances in forensic measurement science and the regulation of allergens, additives and authenticity”.
More speakers to be added...
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