Building resilience in the face of food safety challenges

Alec Kyriakides, Independent Food Safety Consultant

Alec Kyriakides is a food safety consultant with over 35 years experience in the industry, spending 28 years managing technical operations at the retailer Sainsbury’s, prior to which he worked in food manufacturing. He is a qualified microbiologist and co-author of books on the practical control of foodborne pathogens including Salmonella spp., Clostridium botulinum, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes. He is currently a Non-Executive Board Director of Campden BRI, a Board Trustee of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food, Chair of the FSA Root Cause Analysis Steering Committee and Visiting Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast.

Bertrand Emond, Campden BRI

Bertrand has a wealth of knowledge, experience and connectivity from working here at Campden BRI since 1988. Bertrand has a Master's in Food Science & Technology (Dijon, France) and a Master's of Business Administration (Bath, UK).

Bertrand is passionate about supporting the industry in the areas of skills, knowledge, training, learning and development, competency and achieving culture excellence through behaviour change. He won the 2020 BRCGS CEO Europe Award recognising his commitment and contribution to food safety and the 2014 Heinz Award for Excellence for Leadership in Collaborative CPD for the Industry (in particular for his role in supporting competency and CPD, promoting the food industry as a career of choice, and providing collaboration between all stakeholders).

Christopher James, Campden BRI

Christopher James is a Safety, Quality and Allergens Specialist who uses his knowledge and expertise to manage consultancy and research projects, tutor courses in all areas of food safety and quality management and provide specialist support to clients with substances causing food hypersensitivity (including food allergens). He joined the Global Safety and Quality team at Campden BRI in 2019, after roles in various public health and food organisations, bringing his knowledge of nutrition, health, dietary conditions (including food hypersensitivity), food safety, quality and science.

Christopher has authored peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, guidance and reports on current scientific and industry topics, including collaborating with BRCGS in the development of guidance on ‘Effective Allergen Management’. He graduated from Coventry University with a BSc (Hons) in Nutrition Studies, is a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) and a Member of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (MIFST). Alongside his current role, he is undertaking a PhD at the University of Nottingham conducting research into current and emergent allergens in food production systems.