Food to Go

This episode of Food to Go is brought to you by Merck. Explore the possibilities and learn more about Merck’s contribution to this exciting field at www.sigmaaldrich.com/HACCP 

In the second instalment of “A conversation with the FSA”, Assistant Editor Grace Galler sits back down with Emily Miles, Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to talk all things food fraud and allergy safety.

If you missed the first part, you can access the episode here.

In this episode, we discuss the current landscape of food fraud and measures to combat it. Emily highlights the importance of vigilance in a system where criminals seek to exploit vulnerabilities. She also highlights the FSA’s free food fraud hotline and how this aims to encourage reporting and ensure confidentiality for whistleblowers.

Additionally, Emily shares the FSA's efforts to enhance allergen safety, particularly in light of Allergy Awareness Week. Emily addresses misconceptions surrounding vegan labelling and the regulator’s campaign to raise awareness. Grace and Emily also take time to explore the agency's support for Owen's Law.

Listen today to find out how these topics are shaping the future of food safety and regulation.

Grace Galler (GG): What measures is the FSA implementing to reduce the impact of food fraud?

Emily Miles (EM): It's actually the food businesses themselves who need to put in most of the effort. As I have mentioned, it's really important that people report stuff to us or share their concerns if they are anxious about things that are going on.

I think the level of sampling that goes on is really good, and obviously the more sampling the better. Last year about 50,000 samples were taken by retailers and manufacturers and through the Food Industry Intelligence Network that was set up after the horse meat crisis about 10 years ago. That information gets shared with us in an aggregated, anonymised way so that we can see what kind of compliances and non-compliances are happening through that sampling. That helps us know where the risk is and then it helps local authorities focus on the risk too.

I think that intelligence picture also informs what retailers and manufacturers are looking at as well, and that really does inform our work on preventing and controlling food fraud.

This episode of Food to Go is brought to you by Merck. Explore the possibilities and learn more about Merck’s contribution to this exciting field at www.sigmaaldrich.com/HACCP 

In the latest episode of Food To Go, New Food’s Assistant Editor Grace Galler sits down with Emily Miles, Chief Executive of the FSA to discuss the importance of international cooperation when it comes to keeping food systems as safe as they can be.

Listen to hear Emily discuss the critical work the FSA is doing to ensure food safety, recount her recent trip to Brussels, and share insights from speaking with other regulatory bodies around the world.

In the first part of this mini-podcast series, Emily shares the FSA's plans to maintain strong relationships post-Brexit and addresses issues like food safety inspections, international cooperation, and regulatory frameworks.

Join us for an engaging conversation that dives into the complexities of food safety and regulation. Make sure to subscribe to stay updated on future episodes where we tackle topics like food fraud and allergy safety.

This episode of Food to Go is brought to you by Merck Life Science. Explore the possibilities and learn more about Merck’s contribution to this exciting field at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.sigmaaldrich.com/CulturedMeat⁠⁠⁠

In the second instalment of Food To Go's mini podcast series on ethical sourcing, the New Food team speaks to Waleed Nasir, Sustainability Business Development Lead at Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate about how much impact has been made in the 10 years since the launch of the Cargill Cocoa Promise. Waleed also shares why he believes sustainability is “becoming a must have rather than a nice to have” in the food sector and why transparency is so important.

A little later on, Grace speaks to Grant Lang, Founder of Mozzo Coffee, to find out why the company has partnered with Rebuild Women's Hope to support women coffee growers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and how the partnership is making a lasting impact on the lives of women and children.

Listen to the full episode now!

This episode of Food to Go is brought to you by Merck Life Science. Explore the possibilities and learn more about Merck’s contribution to this exciting field at ⁠www.sigmaaldrich.com/CulturedMeat

In the first part of New Food's podcast series on ethical sourcing, Josh and Grace speak to David McDiarmid, Corporate Relations Director of Princes to find out how the international food and beverage manufacturer has committed to making its vast supply chain more visible.

In this episode, McDiarmid also delves into the work Princes has done to ensure that its ingredients are ethically sourced and sheds light on the importance of clear communication with suppliers to enhance transparency, sustainability and to break down cultural barriers. 

Are consumers are happy to pay more for something if they are reassured that everyone in the supply chain is being treated fairly and being paid a fair wage?

David McDiarmid (DM): That's the question of our ages... there are surveys that I see throughout a typical working year that seem to somewhat contradict each other. We are, as a business and as an industry, massively mindful of the cost of living crisis we have been going through and are still facing in this country. That is clearly a concern for us. What we do know is that, certainly from customers but also from consumers, they increasingly want to know more about the ingredients in a product. They want to know more about what's going into their food and drink and to know whether it's sustainable or not. The interesting point for me is what would a consumer's expectation be? I would argue that a consumer's expectation is that we are all doing the right thing already.

It's kind of baked into that. However, the reality is, as we stand at the moment, many areas of sustainability do cost more. There's no smoke and mirrors to that. It's a simple statement of fact. However, in terms of the premium that sustainable items can attract, now that's a broad church there. You could have fair trade accreditation, you could have Marine Stewardship Council seafood or tuna etc.  So while they do attract that level of premium at the moment, our view is we've got to enhance what we do to help flatten that premium.

Are consumers are happy to pay more for something if they are reassured that everyone in the supply chain is being treated fairly and being paid a fair wage?

This episode of Food to Go is brought to you by Merck Life Science. Explore the possibilities and learn more about Merck's contribution to this exciting field at ⁠www.sigmaaldrich.com/CulturedMeat⁠

Josh and Grace travel to London to speak to Nick Allen, CEO of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) and discuss the myriad problems his members are facing within the meat sector. 

From strained import and export processes, labour shortages and controversial trade deals, Nick takes you through the issues which really matter to the food and beverage sector and explains why in its current form, Brexit is not working for the BMPA's members. 

Nick Allen: No. I would say all our membership have seen since Brexit is increased cost, and sooner or later that cost has to be picked up by someone. Either the farmer gets paid less, or that cost has to come out or the consumer has to pay more for it or it eats into their margins. And probably the evidence at the moment is that actually the processes are taking a hit at the moment of the increased costs because of that shortage of supply of livestock, they're having to pay some of the highest prices they've ever paid for livestock.

So at the moment the processor is actually picking up the tab for a lot of the increased cost.

NA: It's a very unpopular thing to say, but sadly, over the years actually the consumers got used to cheap food and they've paid too little for the cost of it. And it's been supported over the years by government policy, by the common agricultural policy that actually helped farmers stay in business...

But I feel the reality is if people in this country can't afford food, that's a societal problem. It's not something the supply chain should have to pay the bill for. Government should actually address those issues. We should strive to have an economy where everyone can afford food, not actually the food supply chain have to produce it cheaply to support what's going on in society.

Nick, would you say that for your members, Brexit isn't something that is working for them?Do you think consumers are going to have to get used to paying more for their meat in the future?

This episode of Food to Go is brought to you by Merck Life Science. Explore the possibilities and learn more about Merck's contribution to this exciting field at www.sigmaaldrich.com/CulturedMeat

In part two of this series, Josh and Grace learn the nuts and bolts of AI usage in the food and beverage indsutry, as they speak to Bas van der Velden of Wageningen University in the Netherlands. 

Bas explains why big data could soon become a key weapon in the food safety arsenal, and also reveals why using AI to flag danger isn't as novel as you might think... 

How do we use big data to keep food safe? In a nutshell, why does this matter to the food and beverage industry?

Bas van der Velden: Why does this matter? I think that by not analysing all this data, you get to anecdotal evidences and we would like to work an evidence-based approach. And to do that, you really need to analyse the patterns in the data and data's becoming more complex and more abundant.

Back in the day, it used to be just one measurement per sample. Now we have in some cases entire metagenomic profiles which we need to analyse. So the data becomes more and more complex and therefore the methodology that we need to adopt to better processes data and to get clear patterns and also warnings. 

And where does the AI come in then?

Bas van der Velden: We have multiple approaches that we use. For example, let's say a sample comes in and it gets smashed up and we look at it on a microscope. A human then looks at whether there's something in there that shouldn't be in there, but we can of course also use computer vision techniques for that. Those are similar to what the big tech companies have been using a while, but we in research have been using those techniques also for decades now.

New Food has been keeping its readers updated with numbers pieces concerning COP28, including a written article from Trewern, and insight from EIT Food's Dr Lucy Wallace who believes the final agreement "fell short of a holistic commitment to transform food systems". 

Keep your eyes peeled for the next episode of Food To Go where Josh and Grace will be talking to Sam Fulton, Group Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Nomad Foods about here response to COP28.

Discussing everything from the power of social media, recalls and effective employment and workforce training, Detwiler addresses prevalent concerns and shares insights into the evolving landscape of food safety.

2024 is set to be a bumper year for "Food To Go" podcasts, and what better way to kickstart the next twelve months than discussing New Food's bread and butter topic with a food safety mogul.

With international perspectives and expert insight, this episode is e a must-listen for anyone passionate about the ever-evolving world of food safety.

Discussing the highs and lows of the food and beverage sector, including the heartwarming, the innovative and the concerning, the hosts recap the roller-coaster year our industry has faced and mark Elliott's trend predictions made at the start of 2023.

This conversation unravels the changes in the sector, spotlighting pivotal moments, innovative strategies, and challenges that have shaped the industry's landscape. 

But what developments have defined this year? Were Professor Elliott's trend predictions correct? And will Josh and Grace discuss the weather in this final episode?

Don't miss an episode of Food to Go in 2024 - subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Josh and Grace attempt to answer these questions with the help of Stephen Goldman, Chief Science Officer at Kaycha Labs in Denver, Colorado. 

Stephen explains why he thinks consumers are ignoring product labels when it comes to cannabinoid food products, and reveals his solution to build consumer trust in the consistency of these products, whichever states they are purchased in. 

Make sure you subscribe to Food to Go so you never miss an episode, including the very first live episode recorded at Food Integrity Global 2023. 

You can hear from Jennifer Wilson from the US Sustainability Alliance about the work US trade associations are doing to create a more climate smart food system. Colleen Coyne from Food Export USA gives some insight into the seafood trade and the steps taken by fishermen in her home-state of Maine to protect their fisheries and livelihood. Dr Jessie Morrill from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln explains some interesting studies being conducted on emissions from beef production, and finally Dr Chetan Parmar of FoodChain ID details the global perspective on US sustainability, highlighting the differences in progress between differnet areas of the globe. 

Listen now to understand the latest developments in sustainable food, and subscribe to Food to Go to get every episode in your pocket as soon as they drop. 

In this emergency episode of Food To Go, Josh and Grace sit down with Steven Mandernach, Executive Director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials, to discuss the grand unveiling of the brand new Deputy Commissioner for the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Human Foods Program.

The food industry's reaction to the FDA appointing James "Jim" Jones as Deputy Commissioner has been largely positive, but what did Mandernach have to say?

Listen to this episode to find out Mandernach's initial reaction to finding out the long awaited news, as well as what he thinks makes Jones well suited for the role. He also talks to Josh and Grace about potential concerns from the industry and highlights what he thinks Jones should turn his attention to first come his start date on 24 September. 

You can listen to part one and part two of our "Living with food allergies" podcast series, as well as find all of our episodes on Spotify, Amazon Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

Polo-Richards also sparks discussion on vegan menus being offered to those with food allergies at restaurants and whether "may contain" statements are a "cop-out" from from the hospitality sector.

To listen to part one of the "Living with food allergies" podcast, click here.

As part one of a three part series investigating what it's like to live wiht food allergies, Josh and Grace look back on the "Catering for Allergens" event hosted at the University of Birmingham and discuss key takeaways from a day full open discussion surrounding allergen safety in the hospitality industry.

In this podcast, New Food speaks to Iain Ferris, Lecturer in Food Safety, Food Standards and Food Law at University of Birmingham, Liljia Polo-Richards, Director and Founder of Allergy Companions and Lisa Winnall, Associate Professor, Head of Food Safety Group at the University of Birmingham.

The need for frank and transparent communication is essential in improving allergy safety standards in the hospitality industry but, as the speakers point out, communication works two ways. The hospitality sector needs to listen to consumers, and equally, consumers need to understand hospitality frustrations and be able to offer advice in order to generate change and remove the fear factor surrounding allergens in the sector.

Tune in next Friday to hear part two of this series where we talk to Liljia Polo-Richards about Allergy Companions and the difference it is making in the food industry.

In this episode sponsored by Hydronix, Josh and Grace tackle one of the biggest problems in the food and beverage industry: food waste.

They hear from food waste warrior and Too Good to Go co-founder Jamie Crummie on how his innovative company is putting food destined for the bin back into consumers' baskets, plus his views on whether we should legislate food waste targets or not.

There's insight from Neal Cass of Hydronix, who explains what his company does in the food waste space and reveals just how crucial moisture control is in keeping as much food away from the waste bin as possible.

And lastly, Food to Go hears from Craig McIntosh of Trendi - a food salvage programme which repurposes wasted produce into ingredients to be used in the industry. Craig explains why food waste matters so much to him and why as an industry we must do more to reduce it.

Subscribe to Food to Go today so you never miss an episode!