Horsemeat webinar to chart shoppers’ reaction

Consumers’ reaction to the horsemeat scandal will be a key feature of a free one-hour webinar dedicated to learning the lessons of the horsemeat crisis to take place at 11am GMT on May 16.

The webinar – Horsemeat: learning the lessons of an avoidable crisis – will feature Kiti Soininen, head of Mintel’s UK food and drink research team. Soinien will focus on how the horsemeat crisis has affected shoppers’ buying habits and what lessons can be learned from previous foodscares.

Her presentation will compare consumer interest in British and local food and its traceability before and after the horsemeat scandal. It will also include lessons from previous food crises, as we chart the changing face of consumers’ preferences. A particular focus will be the effect of the horsemeat crisis on purchases of red meat and frozen ready meals.

Also taking part in the webinar organised by the Food Manufacture group – in association with the business law firm DWF – will be Andrew Rhodes, director of operations with the Food Standards Agency who will examine the regulatory framework.

Professor Tony Hines, head of food security and crisis management at Leatherhead Food Research (LFR), will put the horsemeat contamination in perspective with lessons learnt from previous food contamination scandals. He will also recommend how food businesses can guard the integrity of their supply chains.

Hilary Ross, partner with DWF, will advise food and drink businesses on the legal framework surrounding the meat contamination crisis.

Book your free place at the webinar here.

Meanwhile, the Food Manufacture Group is also staging a one-day food safety conference at the National Motorcycle Museum on Thursday October 17. More details about the event – which will be chaired by Professor Colin Dennis, former director general Campden BRI – are available here.

 

Horesemeat webinar speakers

Professor Tony Hines, head of food security and crisis management consultancy, LFR. Tony has run crisis management consultancy services and training courses in the UK, Spain, Ireland and around the world as far afield as South America, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand the US and many European countries. Private clients include many of Europe’s top 10 food and drink manufacturers and retailers.

Andrew Rhodes joined the FSA as UK director of operations in August 2010. Andrew is responsible for all of the physical activities that keep food safe, including meat inspection, animal feed, monitoring imported food, eggs, dairy, fish, shellfish and the food safety performance of the UK’s 430-plus local authorities.

Kiti Soinien manages Mintel’s UK food and drink research team, which produces over 60 reports annually, spanning the UK’s food, drink and food service industries. She joined Mintel in 2004 as a European retail analyst, before specialising in the food sector as a senior food analyst in 2009 and taking responsibility for the team in 2011.

Hilary Ross, partner, DWF. Qualified in both English and Scottish Law, Hilary advises in all aspects of EU and UK regulatory issues. She has particular expertise in food law. Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession consistently ranks Hilary as a star performer in the field of food law and praises her as being “undoubtedly a dominant force in the marketplace”. Her expertise was recognised by the national media during the horsemeat scandal where she was the leading legal commentator on the issue, with regular appearances on BBC and Sky TV and radio to explain the implications.