Kolak’s Sterling Crew is Scientist of the Year

Sterling Crew, head of technical at Kolak Snack Foods, was named as the Food and Drink Scientist of the Year at the Food and Drink Federation Awards last month.

The judges said he is committed to food safety and sharing good practice, making sure that safety is part of everyone’s job to ensure the highest standards for Kolak’s various retail customers.

Crew has worked in the food industry for more than 30 years, previously working in government, and for Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Coca-Cola.

Elliott report

His main focus over the past two years has been the development of Kolak’s £13M snack site, and responding to the Elliott report he introduced one of the first threat analysis critical control point management systems.

He also completed a long-term project into acrylamide management and control and delivering a food safety culture.

Crew is vice-president of the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) and chairs its food safety group as well as chairing the IFST Silver Jubilee Conference. He also commentates on public health in a number of journals and is a regular presenter at technical conferences.