Sterling is Head of Technical at Kolak Snack Foods Ltd a leading UK manufacturer of crisps and snacks. Kolak manufacture for brands, independents and the major retailers. Sterling has 30 years’ experience of working in the food industry in the fields of food safety, compliance, governance and NPD. Sterling started his career in government before working in retailing with Marks and Spencer and Tesco. He has also worked in the branded environment for Coca -Cola and Disney. With experience as a food manufacturer, regulator and retailer, he has a unique perspective on the development of the food industry.He is Vice President of the Institute of Food Science and Technology , chairs its Food Safety Group and sits on its Scientific Committee. He has recently joined the Campden BRI Science and Technology Committee. Sterling is a scientific commentator with regular columns and has published a number of papers.
How does it feel to finally have your hands on one of our jubilee mugs?
It’s great to get the IFST Jubilee mug . Its sits on my desk and gets regular use as I experiment with the amount of caffeine a single person can take in a day . It’s also a good reminder that we should ask not what the IFST can do for its members but what its members can do for the IFST.
Tell us a bit about your involvement with IFST during the Jubilee year.
Presenting a paper and chairing a session at the Jubilee conference was a bit nerve wracking. I think I am only just starting to recover. It was a great honour to be elected Vice President in such an auspicious year. I have spent a lot of time working with the IFST team trying to refresh our Food Safety offering and adding value to our membership.
We have our Spring Conference ‘Food Safety in the court of public opinion’ next month, what can delegates expect?
I am looking forward to the conference as I believe it will give a fresh perspective on the food industry as seen through the eyes of consumers. There has been a lot of bad press recently on food science and the part it plays in the food industry .This will be an opportunity to focus on the facts and dispel some of the myths.
Tell us something we don’t already know about you.
I recently broke my hip whilst engaged in the extreme sport of walking down a public pavement.
