Hot topics in food microbiology

Dr Jeff Banks, Food Safety Assurance

Dr Jeff Banks is a food quality and safety professional with more than 45 years’ experience. He holds a degree in Applied Biology and a PhD in Food Microbiology. After academic work he became the Microbiology Department Head at Campden Food Research. He has deep knowledge and experience in all segments of the food processing sector. He has assessed or audited over 1200 plants in over 80 countries and claims to remember all of them. He has held senior leadership positions in R&D, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs in global food business such as DuPont, Cadbury-Schweppes, Kraft Foods and Barry Callebaut. Jeff feels equally comfortable in the board room, on the plant floor or in courts of law. He currently applies his knowledge to support clients in the food sector manage food safety and quality risks; ensure regulatory compliance and develop innovative solutions to complex technical challenges. He specialises in root cause analysis and incident management. He is an expert witness and has successfully applied his talents in legal cases in several countries for both defence and prosecution and in the International Court of Arbitration. He claims to have a 100% record of success - but still believes that prevention is much better than litigation. Over the years he has been sought out by businesses in crisis caused by microbes. Jeff has successfully resolved major microbiology incidents involving Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli, typically during and after outbreaks of foodborne disease involving significant morbidity and mortality. Most of the time, however, Jeff works in the shadows, without publicity - the unseen hand at work – preventing problems, avoiding withdrawals and recalls and de-risking the food supply chain. As a footnote, he is a proud father of an even more famous microbiologist, Dr Emma Banks, Royal Society Fellow 2023 based at the prestigious John Innes Institute in the UK.

Robbie McGill, Campden BRI

Robbie joined Campden BRI in 2018 after obtaining his master’s degree in advanced chemical and process engineering from the University of Strathclyde. Robbie now works as a non-thermal specialist in the Process Innovation team within the consulting technology department, providing feasibility testing, validation, and training in many novel processes. Robbie has also undertaken many research projects and has published multiple New Technologies bulletins.

Annette Sansom, Campden BRI

Annette has a wealth of knowledge and experience from working at Campden BRI since 1998, always within Microbiology.

Annette’s food and drink industry interests are: microbiology including bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa; food safety; food spoilage; fresh produce microbiology including vertical farming and methods to describe microbial populations.