The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) formally launched its new membership organisation the Institute of Food Safety, Integrity & Protection (IFSIP) at the House of Commons on 24 June 2014.
The launch event was hosted by Sir Kevin Barron, MP, who is a Vice President of the CIEH, and was attended by 70 delegates representing key organisations such as the Food Standard’s Agency (FSA) and Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) as well as stakeholders from across the breadth of the food sector, as well as the public, private, academic and third sector.
Food fraud or crime
Head of IFSIP, Jenny Morris, MBE, said the IFSIP advisory board had decided initially to concentrate on the skills needed to tackle food fraud:
‘The first topic area for IFSIP focus, identified by the advisory board, was food fraud or food crime and the need to fill skills gaps in addressing it,’ and added that IFSIP aimed to support good standards of consumer protection.
‘This has become ever more necessary as the food supply has become increasingly complex and resources, both in management and in supply, have become scarcer.’
Working together, giving professional support
Graham Jukes, CIEH chief executive, said IFSIP would allow different organisations to work together and give professional support to all those throughout the food industry.
Mr Jukes said: ‘In the light of Professor Elliott’s review the need is for a far more coordinated approach between the professional and other groups, trade associations, interest groups, academia and research establishments in order to tackle food crime,’ he said.
‘It is designed to be collaborative in nature, its membership model will encourage membership of kindred professional bodies and seek to enhance collaborative work between the professions and seek to harmonise the qualifications, skills and competencies into a clear framework of professional development and registration.’
Collaborative body of food professionals
Professor Chris Elliott, as Chair of the Advisory Board, talked about the importance of IFSIP as a collaborative body of food professionals, in the current challenging environment.
‘Never have I thought in my professional career that there is a greater need and opportunity to develop partnerships between those four million people who work in the food industry, partnerships between the people who work for regulatory authorities in government to come together to work even harder to ensure that the food supply system for every citizen on these islands is safe wholesome and authentic,’ he said.
IFSIP plan to send out details of the event, together with video clips to all CIEH members and all those who have registered an interest by the start of July.
The full website will be available in the autumn when the member areas will become “live”. At that time there will be new content for members only.
Register your interest in becoming a member of IFSIP.
About the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)
· The CIEH is the professional voice for environmental health representing over 10,000 members working in the public, private and non-profit sectors. It ensures the highest standards of professional competence in its members, in the belief that through environmental health action people’s health can be improved
- The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is a leading provider of regulated qualifications in health and safety, food safety, environmental management, fire safety and first aid and operates in over 50 countries
- Over 10 million people around the world from the UK to the USA and the Middle East hold a CIEH qualification
- The CIEH’s clients range from small businesses to multinational enterprises like the InterContinental Hotels Group. We work with governmental bodies in Hong Kong as well as international agencies like the United Nations
- The CIEH’s 60 qualification training programmes are delivered through a network of over 10,000 registered trainers. The training is developed for the varied skill levels within organisations. They cater to different learning styles and preferences through a series of flexible structures. CIEH qualifications are Ofqual (formerly QCA) regulated and are valued and recognised throughout the world
- For more information visit www.cieh.org