UWL hosts inaugural Victor Ceserani Lecture

Professor Alexandros Paraskevas, Chair in Hospitality Management at the London College of Hospitality and Tourism, welcomed academic and industry experts to the inaugural Victor Ceserani lecture, held at Asia House in Central London with the kind support of Charles Wilson. The guest speaker was Professor Chris Elliott, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University, Belfast, who led the independent review of Britain’s food system after the 2013 horsemeat scandal.

Professor Elliott’s speech looked at a variety of food scams, including Sudan Red industrial colour used in food, and the replacement of oregano with other green leaves. He welcomed the close collaboration of industry and universities to get the best results for the consumer.

A link to the presentation slides can be found here.

Fraud in Food Supply Systems - complete lecture

After his speech, Professor Elliott was joined by a panel of experts to address some of the issues he raised. Andy Milner, director of Procurement and Supply Chain at the UK’s largest catering and hospitality supplier WSH Limited; David Jones, Director of Technical Services at Bidvest Food Services; and David Richardson, Regulatory and Commercial Affairs Director at the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, took to the stage and explained how industry reacted to food fraud scares.

The invited audience then had the opportunity to ask the panel questions, which ranged from what effect exiting the EU would have on UK food systems, to whether universities are training the industry leaders of the future.

The lecture was followed by drinks in the stunning Asia House reception rooms, where business and academia had the chance to mingle further and explore food fraud in more detail.

Find out more about the London College of Hospitality and Tourism, and follow us on Twitter @UWLHospTour 

Photos from the Inaugural Victor Ceserani Lecture, 9 February 2016