Those interested in how the food and drink sector is tackling today’s challenges can get insights from a member of the government’s Food and Drink Sector Council, as Judith Batchelar OBE delivers the IFSTAL annual public lecture 2018 on 6 December 2018, titled Collaboration for Impact.
Taking place at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS, the event will explore some of the more interesting case studies in the sector, looking at how the very nature of these challenges require collective action including standards, interventions and reporting at both a global and local level.
Local livestream events
The event will also be livestreamed to IFSTAL’s partners at the Universities of Oxford, Reading and Warwick, followed by a festive drinks reception at each site. At Oxford, Dr Brian Cook from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences will join the event as a discussant.
A biochemist and registered nutritionist, Batchelar was awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to farming and the food industry and has worked in the food and drink sector for over 35 years. She sits on the executive board of the Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project, the Board of Trustees for Farm Africa and The Matt Hampson Foundation, is a Fellow of both the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), and the Royal Society of Arts and Manufacturers (RSA). For the last five years she has co-chaired the government’s AgriFoodTech Council. As Director of Sainsbury’s Brand, she is responsible for all aspects of Sainsbury’s product offer.
Complex challenges
According to Batchelar, the challenges faced by the food and drink sector are complex and interconnected. “The science is still evolving,” she says. “This requires both collaboration and for us to be at our collective, innovative best!! I hope the audience will feel surprised and inspired by the work we are doing and keen to learn more about how they can be involved.”
Starting at 6pm on 6 December 2018, the lecture will be followed by a Q&A. It will be livestreamed to IFSTAL’s partners at the Universities of Oxford, Reading and Warwick, followed by a festive drinks reception at each site.
Tickets to the live event and the local livestreams are all free of charge but must be booked as places are limited.
