Professor Chris Elliott, author of the Elliott Review into the 2013 horse meat scandal
The UK is facing the greatest threat to the integrity of its food supply since World War II according to one of the country’s leading food security experts.
Professor Chris Elliott , who was appointed by the government to investigate the horsemeat scandal in 2013 that saw up to 50,000 horses disappear from across Europe, has warned that a combination of factors such as Brexit and global warming mean the country’s food supply is potentially less secure than at any point in the last 70 years.
Speaking at a conference of food industry experts this autumn, the professor warned that:
- the UK is not yet prepared for the many challenges that Brexit will pose to the safe supply and production of food. Compromises on food safety standards is a real and immediate threat
- lack of action on global warming is leading to the increase in incidences of disease and drought that have already devastated some of the food commodities we have come to rely on
- increased price pressure on food suppliers continues to increase the risk for food fraud as farmers and producers struggle to meet the lower prices demanded by retailers
The professor, who is the founder of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast, issued the warning at the Food Fraud, Culture and Modern Catering Processes conference in Doncaster on 26 September 2017, hosted by Highfield Qualifications , one of the UK’s leading exam boards.
Professor Elliott said, ‘As a country we need to seriously begin considering how we ‘future proof’ the integrity of our food supply in the face of the challenges coming in the next few years. To understand what we are eating, where it comes from and how it was produced are of fundamental importance to regaining trust. To reconnect with our food system should be considered a national imperative’.
He added, ‘We have made good progress on the issue of food fraud since the publication of the Elliott Review into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks in 2014. However, although food fraud remains a priority to those of us concerned with the integrity of our food supply, we need to be versatile and responsive in how we deal with other – potentially greater – challenges to come, especially around Brexit and global warming’.
The Elliott Review into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks – Final Report: A National Food Crime Prevention Framework can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/350726/elliot-review-final-report-july2014.pdf
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ENDS
Notes to editors:
1.
Highfield Qualifications is one of the UK’s leading awarding organisations, offering over 200 qualifications covering a wide variety of industries including food safety, customer service, health and safety, licensing, security, stewarding, retail, logistics, catering and hospitality.
2. The Food Fraud, Culture and Modern Catering Processes conference took place at Doncaster Racecourse on 26 September 2017, and featured presentations from Professor Chris Elliott (Director of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast), Andy Morling (Head of the National Food Crime Unit, FSA), Sterling Crew (Institute of Food Science and Technology), Simon Flanagan (RSSL) and Peter Littleton (Klenzan).
