Dr. Francesca Lotta works as associate at the international Law Firm Bird and Bird, where she advises companies from Food & Beverage sector on regulatory requirements for innovative products, such as novel foods, food supplements and nutraceuticals. She also provides advice on general food law issues, labeling requirements including health and nutrition claims and food advertising.
Francesca graduated cum laude from Università Cattolica (Piacenza) in 2009, and she received her Ph.D. in Agrisystem in 2014. She has been a visiting researcher at the Institute for European Tort Law (Vienna) and collaborated with the Department of Food Business and Development at the University College of Cork in Ireland.
Interested in food innovation, smart farming and precision agriculture, she is also gaining a reputation as edible insects' legislation expert, advising food and feed companies. She participated as speaker to the International Conference "Eating Insects Detroit" and also to the workshops organized by the Royal Entomology Society "Farming Insects in the UK".
Presentation topic
Authorizing edible insects under the new novel food regulation
Mark Ramsden, ADAS Digital
Mark is an agro-ecologist specialising in entomology, with experience working in ecological management around the agricultural industry. Mark has especially focused on the ecosystem services that insects provide, such as conservation biological control, and has worked on a number of wildlife management projects in the UK and abroad, promoting sustainable business development alongside rich and diverse environments.
Presentation topic
The next steps for UK insect farmers
Aim:
- Summarise the outputs from a workshop on UK Insect Farmers
- Identify the next steps necessary in light of novel food regulations
Ruth Willis, Food Standards Agency
Ruth is policy lead at the Food Standards Agency for novel foods representing the UK at EU level discussions on the area. She manages the authorisation process for novel foods in the UK and is Technical Secretary of the UK risk assessment committee the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP).
Ruth graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences from Heriot Watt University in 2001. The majority of her career has been in the civil service working on a number of food related policy areas. These have ranged from food authenticity, food allergy, food labelling and the Common Fisheries Policy reform. These opportunities have given her insight into the use of science in policy making and EU legislative frameworks. She is passionate about food and getting the right balance between protecting the consumer and providing access to food innovation.
Presentation topic
Novel foods beyond January 2018 - New vs Old: a regulator’s perspective
The talk will explain the changes brought by the new novel food regulation and how this is likely to influence what the future might hold for novel foods including insects.