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Foodex, the UK’s premier trade event for the food and drink processing, packaging, ingredients and logistics industries, will play host to an extensive seminar programme this April. Visitors are invited to join the likes of Bernard Matthews, Food Standards Agency, 2 Sisters Food Group and the Food & Drink Exporters Association who will take to the stage to discuss the latest industry trends and issues impacting the bakery, beverage, dairy, fresh, ingredients, logistics, meat and seafood sectors.

Safety, Security and the Big Food Waste Debate

With food safety, security and the big food waste debate making headlines, visitors to the Centre Stage at Foodex can discover insight and advice from leading industry experts. Highlighting the scale of the food safety challenge posed by campylobacter, Britain’s number one cause of food poisoning, Jeremy Hall, Group Technical Director, Bernard Matthews and Richard Griffiths, Communications Director, British Poultry Council will offer advice on how the industry can work together to more effectively meet the challenge.

Food and drink fraud will also be one of the topics up for discussion when Andy Morling, Head of the Food Crime Unit, Food Standards Agency is joined by Professor Tony Hines of Leatherhead Food Research and Professor Lisa Jack of the Centre for Counter Fraud Studies at the University of Portsmouth, to chart the progress made so far in combatting food and drink fraud as well as highlighting the high risk areas that lie ahead.

Food safety will also be up for discussion at Foodex 2016 with Bertrand Emond of Campden BRI who will explain the importance of businesses assessing their food safety culture.

A session on anaerobic digestion titled ‘AD: An opportunity too good to waste’ will see Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive of the Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association (ADBA), Richard Gueterbock, Marketing Director at Clearfleau Limited and a panel of experts discuss the way forward for turning waste into energy and biofertiliser.

Richard Gueterbock will return to the Centre Stage on the final day of the show (20 April) to discuss the opportunity to transform food residue into energy to cut costs and increase on-site efficiency. Joined by Michael Hogg, Energy and Sourcing Manager for Argent Energy Ltd, the session will explore renewable solutions and how new technology can turn waste into profit.

Day two of Foodex (19 April 2016) will see Business Broadcaster Steph McGovern host a panel of industry experts who will discuss the pressing issues and key trends from across the sector. The panel, which includes Nigel Jenny of the Fresh Produce Consortium, Gavin Partington, British Soft Drinks Association and Ian Wright, Food & Drink Federation, will address what matters most to the food and drink industry, as well as offering visitors a chance to put forward their own questions to the panel.

Current challenges and opportunities in food, unlocked through ingredient innovation will also be up for discussion when experts from Campden BRI take to the Centre Stage. Joe McGurk, Senior Scientist is set to explore novel and emerging ingredients for overcoming industry challenges and driving food innovation. Rachel Gwinn, Food Production Development Scientist will follow with a session to identify on-trend ingredients and key considerations for regulatory constraints, product characteristics, and more.

Launching exclusively at Foodex 2016, the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) will reveal its ‘Feeding London in 2030’ report. With exclusive highlights from the landmark study, including the critical role of the logistics sector for food manufacturing, food service wholesale and food retail, visitors have the first chance to claim a copy of the report.

Additional topics up for discussion on the Centre Stage include how to successfully launch a new brand from concept to shop shelf, apprenticeships and how to plug the skills gap, the pitfalls and potential of global trading and global warming: is the meat industry to blame?

Great New Idea

In addition to a wide range of interactive debates and seminars, the show will feature the Great New Idea competition. Exhibitors will be asked to submit a new product/idea that has been launched within the industry in the past six months for the opportunity to win the Best New Idea Award. Visitors will place their votes online leading up to the show, with the finalists taking to the stage to present their innovations to judges and an audience before the winner is announced.

The full seminar schedule is now available online. Please visit http://www.foodex.co.uk/live-events/centre-stage to read more about the speakers and topics set to be discussed at the show in April.

Foodex 2016 is co-located with the Farm Shop & Deli Show, National Convenience Show and Food & Drink Expo. To register for free, receiving entry to all co-located shows, visit www.foodex.co.uk.