The Science Behind Your Salad

^{Crossing the globe to discover how the best ingredients that end up on our tables are grown}

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Latest Episode: Food Safety

Whether we’re buying a punnet of fruit, a freshly made burrito or a can of tomatoes, we take it for granted that the food is safe and free of any biological or chemical contamination. There are a host of food laws, regulatory bodies and food inspection schemes, as well as guidance on food preparation in our homes, to make sure that our food is safe. In this episode of the Science Behind your Salad, Jane meets Professor Louise Manning, a food system and safety researcher, Eric Kimunguyi, from AAK Grow in Kenya and Andrew Stirling, a potato farmer and processor from Angus in Scotland to understand the different aspects of food safety around the globe.

Our first guest: Louise Manning

Louise Manning is Professor of Sustainable Agri-food Systems at the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology, University of Lincoln. Louise has worked for over 40 years to undertake and inform strategy, policy, business productivity and efficiency and personal development in the agri-food sector. Her expertise lies in food integrity including food safety and quality, food crime, food waste management, food governance, business ethics, supply chain digitalisation, social and corporate responsibility. Louise brings a strong background in developing professional development programmes and executive education, applied research, and promoting innovation. She has published over 130 peer-reviewed papers and also written and edited multiple books and book chapters. Her recent work focuses specifically on traceability, transparency, integrity, ethical use of data and technology and the increasing digitisation of food supply chains. She is active on LinkedIn, X (@foodsafetyljm) and has a blog Food Safety Chat which she updates weekly on food safety incidents around the world (foodsafetychat.blogspot.com).

Our second guest: Monika Richter

Born in a small town in Southern Germany, Moni completed a family of five. Due her early interest in science and love for food, she decided to study food chemistry at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Germany. During her food chemistry study, she got to know different aspects such as food ingredient testing and food law and hygiene and microbiology etc., shaped her passion for food safety.

Starting her career at an institute applying her analytical chemistry skills on crop protection products, she joined BASF Agricultural Solutions for Consumer Safety group in Limburgerhof, Germany in 2007. Throughout the years and various responsibilities within the Global Consumer Safety group Moni could develop in the areas of metabolism, residue analytics, active substance development, food safety and maximum residue level (MRL) setting. Working in the Public Governmental Affairs group helped broadening her horizon beyond her scientific background. Since 2019, she has been leading the Global MRL & Trade team in the Global Consumer Safety group which supports colleagues to have all relevant MRLs in place allowing BASF’s customers smooth placing of food on the market and enabling international trade. She also contributes with her expertise to several association groups and is part of an advisory board. Moni also lives her passion for food safety by contributing to Codex Alimentarius – a body developing international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice contributing to the safety, quality and fairness of international food trade.

Travelling around the world exploring different cultures and ways of living is her second big passion and is of very high value for her. All these experiences shape her way of thinking and behaving, both, in her private and business live.

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