The Food Science & Nutrition Group provides members with an interest in food science and human nutrition with the opportunity to engage and share knowledge with fellow members.
The scope of the group includes:
- Exploring the interplay between food science, nutrition policy and regulation
- Nutritional effects of food throughout the life course
- Considering the impacts of food processing on nutritional content
- Connecting nutritionists and product developers through activities
The Committee is made up of food and nutrition professionals from manufacturing and retail, as well as consultants and academia, and organise popular online and in-person events. These events generally take the format of succinct, informative sessions followed by highly interactive, but structured, Q&A sessions led by the event Chair. Both the Chair and Speakers include experts from the industry, as well as from other reputable organisations. Meetings typically cover aspects such as consumer insights, technical or other industry-related challenges, and new or emerging technologies, as well as provide a useful overview and update of the current food and nutrition landscape.
Our Food Science and Nutrition Group aims to provide IFST members with regular information as well as organise regular thought-provoking events.
Chair: Kate Halliwell
Vice-chair: Laura Farrell
Secretary: Anne Betty
Events: Terri Grassby
Communications: Emma Williams
Other members: Aisling Aherne, Barbara Bray, Colin Dennis, Bianca Mercouffer, Titilayo Nosiru, Zoltan Racz, Helen Seward.
Dr Aisling Aherne FIFST is the Nutrition Science Manager for Kerry Group Europe. Aisling has over 20 years of experience working in nutritional science including scientific research, clinical nutrition, and science communications. In her current role, Aisling is responsible for developing and delivering the Kerry nutrition strategy as well as keeping colleagues updated on nutrition regulations and policies.
Anne Betty MIFST is a registered nutritionist and freelance labelling consultant to the food industry whilst also Senior Technical Advisor for the food labelling & specifications team at Micron2. She has over 25 years of experience gained in a variety of technical roles across manufacturing and retailing and was previously a Company Nutritionist for the Co-op.
Barbara Bray MBE FIFST is a Registered nutritionist and food safety consultant driving and delivering food safety and nutrition strategy for agri-food businesses. The Co-Chair of the Oxford Farming Conference, trustee of the Nutrition Society and 2017 Nuffield Farming Scholar, Barbara is passionate about diet and food. She was awarded an MBE in 2019 for services to food nutrition.
Colin Dennis CBE, DL Hon. FIFST has had a 50+ years career in industry, government and academia, including 21 years as CEO of Campden BRI. He has served on both government and industry advisory committees globally and is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees of IFIS Ltd, serves on the Board of the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink, is the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the British Nutrition Foundation and is Past President of the Institute of Food Science & Technology (UK) and IFT (USA).
Laura Farrell FIFST is a registered nutritionist working in retail. Laura is Company Nutritionist at Tesco since 2015 where she develops and delivers nutrition policy and strategy. Prior to her current role, Laura has held various roles in technical and agricultural management. She is also a member of the BNF Scientific Committee and Nutritionists in Industry (NII) Group.
Dr Terri Grassby MIFST is a Lecturer in Food Science at the University of Surrey. Her research interests are focused on plant polysaccharides (such as cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins) and their effects on the digestibility of nutrients and food texture. She uses in vivo and in vitro experimental approaches to investigate the relationship between structure and function. She has been teaching in higher education for 10 years. She is also a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Biochemical Society.
Kate Haliwell MIFST is the FDF’s Chief Scientific Officer and is responsible for the FDF’s food safety, food law and labelling, and diet and health policy briefs. Previously Kate led the FDF’s diet and health policy work, and before that worked for the Government on a range of nutrition and legislation policies. Kate is a registered nutritionist and a member of the Nutrition Society.
Zoltan Racz is a Food Safety and Quality Management Consultant with over 20 years’ food marketing experience. His special focus is on customer behaviour and consumer preferences. He holds an MSc in Food Safety and Quality Management, as well as a BA (Hons) in Teaching, giving him an inter-disciplinary approach when working as a trainer and consultant. Zoltan runs his own UK business (Zoltans Ltd.) providing SMEs with advice in food manufacturing, delivery and corporate catering. He also works as an Ecommerce and Marketing Manager for WSCS, a global food packaging supplier.
Dr Emma Williams is a Food and Nutrition Consultant, responsible for helping an array of food and nutrition businesses with their strategic consultancy needs. She has a BSc in Food Technology/Management and a Doctorate in Human Nutrition, along with over 20 years of experience in food science and nutrition including food retail and manufacturing/laboratory management (dairy science); academic research; university lecturing; clinical research and science communication.
Each SIG is run by a small committee of volunteer members, who meet both face-to-face and virtually. As part of the committee, members are actively involved in organising and attending meetings in relation to setting up activities, events and webinars across the year. Open our Events page to attend our upcoming events or access the Webinar Hub to watch previous webinar recordings.
| Upcoming Events | Previous Events |
We value the important contribution that volunteers bring to the work and life of the Institute. Without the contribution of the volunteers who serve on committees, branches and special interest groups, we would find it difficult to achieve the strategic priorities set out by the Board of Trustees. The Impact Award is an opportunity for volunteers to showcase an innovative activity that has been undertaken that meets the set criteria.
Find out more about the previous winners, entry criteria and submissions here.
Are you interested in food science and nutrition, and want to talk to like-minded individuals? Log on to our communication platform for all IFST members, IFST Community. This online space is open for you to interact and communicate freely and easily with other members and engage with our many Networks. Here are some step-by-step instructions to get you started. We’ve also created a simple how-to video.
Join the Food Science & Nutrition Community
Do you want to find out more about our Food Science & Nutrition Group? Get in touch via info@ifst.org
We are conducting a series of interviews with SIG Committee Members, asking them about their careers in the food system.
Kate Halliwell MIFST, Chief Scientific Officer, Food and Drink Federation (FDF)
Dr Terri Grassby MIFST, MRSC, Lecturer in Food Science University of Surrey
Anne Betty MIFST, Registered Nutritionist and Food Labelling Advisor, AB Food Nutrition
Dr Aisling Aherne FIFST, Nutrition Manager, Kerry Group - Europe
Laura Farrell FIFST, Company Nutritionist, Tesco