New Techniques for Food Assurance and Traceability

Trace dissemination workshop

17 th December 2009

Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera), York , UK

Leading figures from food industry meet to get a market edge

Key decision makers from the food and beverage industries gathered at a TRACE workshop to learn more about how the latest scientific innovations can give their products a leading edge. Delegates attended from across Europe to hear about the latest traceability methods for the industry.

Areas covered:

Honey, lamb, chicken, wheat – tracing the geographic origin

Beer – authentication of Trappist beers

Gelatine – determining the species of origin

Beef – verification of storage conditions

Oils and fats – profiling techniques

Food sector traceability practice

This one day event was organised and held at the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) in York , UK on 17 th December 2009 . Specialists from across Europe presented their most recent analytical capabilities in food assurance to an audience composed of representatives working in quality assurance, supply chain and branding roles.

Agenda:

Chaired by Paul Brereton, Trace co-ordinator, Food and Environment Research Agency, York , UK .

•  New methods and systems for tracing the origin of food: an overview.

Paul Brereton, Food and Environment Research Agency , UK .

•  Application of good traceability practice in the food sector.

Kathryn Donnelly, Nofima Market , Norway .

•  What species of animal is in my food or drug?

New research by Fera and the University of York on gelatine has the answer.

Helen Grundy, Food and Environment Research Agency , UK .

•  Where in the UK did this cow graze?

Using Trace technology to protect British beef.

Simon Kelly, University of East Anglia , UK .

Lunch – locally sourced and traceable

•  Has my Trappist beer really been brewed in a monastery?

Novel technique to authenticate speciality beers by infra-red spectroscopy reveals all.

Juan Antonio Fernandez, CRA-W , Belgium .

•  Where in Europe was my honey foraged?

Methods to assure the origin of honey.

Antje Schellenberg, Bavarian Health and Safety Authority , Germany .

•  Profiling foods:

The Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) approach.

Lukas Vaclavik, Institute of Chemical Technology , Czech Republic .

Video on DART

•  Protecting the corn-fed chicken industry:

Isotopic techniques for confirming feeding regimes.

Katharina Heinrich, Food and Environment Research Agency , UK .

•  For how long, and at what temperature, has my steak been stored prior to purchase? Nuclear Magnetic Resonance reveals all.

James Donarski, Food and Environment Research Agency , UK .

For further information regarding the work carried out by the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) or by the Trace Project, please contact:

Paul Brereton, Trace Project Co-ordinator ( trace.secretariat@fera.gsi.gov.uk )