Reformulation can pose a food safety risk

Manufacturers needed to understand the preservative effect that salt and sugar provide, said Roy Betts, head of food microbiology at Campden BRI. “We remove preservatives at our peril and it’s not something that's easy to do safely,”​ he said at the recent Foodex show. By reducing the salt or sugar content of a product, firms would change how microorganisms grow, which could increase the risk of food poisoning, he warned.

While some microbes were easy to control, a scientific approach needed to be taken to make changes safely to processes and products. “Overall, manufacturers need to beware of recipe changes because they will affect the food safety of a product,”​ he added.

One-day food safety conference​

The latest advice on food safety and safe reformulation will be discussed at a one-day food safety conference called ‘Safe and legal food in a changing world’, organised by Food Manufacture on Wednesday, October 15 at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

Speakers will include Dr Sandra Stringer, from the Institute of Food Research, who will speak about safe reformulation. Professor Sarah O’Brien, chair of the Food Standard Agency’s Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food, will talk about horizon scanning.

For more information, visit FoodManEvents.