Prof. J Ralph Blanchfield, MBE
Hon FAIFST, CChem, FRSC, FRIPH
Fellow, Institute of Food Technologists
Fellow and President, International Academy of Food Science & Technology
Food
Science, Food Technology and Food Law Consultant
e-mail
Prof. J Ralph Blanchfield, MBE
Food
Science, Food Technology and Food Law Consultant
e-mail
(Last updated 9 July 2008)
"The Evolution of the Food Technologist" (1966)
"Food and the Public Interest": IFST President's Address (1980)
"True Happiness": IFST Honorary Fellow's
Address (1985)
"Good Manufacturing Practice": IFST Annual Conference (1998)
"The
Several Worlds of Food Science & Technology": International Lecture (1999)
"Dealing with Food
Allergens": Seminar (2000)
Definitive book "Food Labelling";
Editor's Foreword and Contents List (2000)
"The Best-Kept Secret: IUFoST Revealed":
Article in Food Technology, September 2000
IFT Carl R. Fellers Award Citation, June 2002
Genetically Modified Food Regulations in Europe": On-line Teaching
Module
(Fall 2007 as at October 2007)
BSE/vCJD -- The European Ongoing Story"
Presentation on various occasions
(updated to 9 July 2008)
Presentation at European Consumer Congress, March 2003
"What can professional food
science societies actually do to help feed the world?"
Presentation at joint IFST/IFT International Division Symposium, 15 July
2003
"Genetically modified food crops and their contribution to
human nutrition and food quality"
Updated and presented at SAFFoST Biennial Congress, 7 Sept 2005
Updated and presented at Latin-American 7th Congress in Brazil, 6 Nov 2007
"Can We Trust These Food Scientists?"
Opening presentation in IFST Session at BA Festival of Science, 9 September 2004
Exeter University
Presentation at the joint IUFoST/MIFT Symposium 23 March 2005.
"Can We Trust These Food Scientists?"
Ernest Newbury Memorial Lecture
at SAAFoST Biennial Congress, 6 September 2005
"Can We Trust These Food Scientists?"
Updated presentation at the 13th World Congress
of Food Science & Technology
Nantes, 18 September 2006
Updated and presented at 7th Latin-American Congress in Brazil, 6 Nov 2007
Presentation prepared for the IUFoST Conference
at LATU, Montevideo, Uruguay, April 2006
Updated and presented at 7th Latin-American Congress, 5 Nov 2007
Presentation prepared for the IUFoST Conference
at LATU, Montevideo, Uruguay, April 2006
Institute of Food Science & Technology Web site
International Union of Food Science & Technology
UK Federation of Food Science & Technology
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Ralph Blanchfield is a consultant with his own international practice for the past twenty-seven years, after having previously spent 34 years in industrial food science & technology and management with (successively) Lyons, Unilever, CWS and Bush Boake Allen. His experience and expertise are in a wide variety of food products and processing technologies, and cover research, product/process development, analysis, quality control and quality assurance, food safety and food hygiene, production, marketing, labelling, food legislation, staff selection and acting as expert witness. His consultancy experience covers a wide range of clients, large, medium and small, in the UK, various European countries, USA and Japan.
He was joint Editor and part author of the three earlier editions and Editor of the 4th Edition, of the IFST Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice in the Food & Drink Industries; was joint Editor and part author of the book Food Control in Action; and author of numerous published papers relating to aspects of food science & technology, to the philosophy and ethics of its practice, to food legislation and to good manufacturing practice.
He is Editor and part author of the first definitive book on Food Labelling (Woodhead Publishing ISBN 1 85573 496 6 and CRC Press ISBN 0-8493-0852-6).
Professor Blanchfield has served the Institute of Food Science & Technology of the UK (IFST) in many honorary capacities, including as Honorary Secretary (1970-75), Vice-President (1976-78) and President (1979 and 1980). He is currently one of IFST's Trustees, its Chairman of External Affairs, and Vice-Chairman of its Membership Committee that also deals with matters of professional ethics and conduct. It was while he was Honorary Secretary that he was one of the instigators of, and was principal author of, the Institute's Code of Professional Conduct and the Professional Conduct Guidelines. He was also principal author of their update and extension in 1991. In 1995 he designed, constructed and wrote the multi-Award winning IFST Web site on the World Wide Web, and continued to act as Webmaster and Web Editor until April 2006. In August 1996, he was awarded the first PROMED-MAIL Award for Excellence in Outbreak Reporting, "in recognition of his outstanding reporting of the BSE/CJD crisis".
Apart from the varied fields of his consultancy work, his other major areas of current scientific interest and activity are BSE/vCJD, food biotechnology. food allergens, acrylamide and food legislation.
He is Chairman of the UK Federation for Food Science & Technology, a Vice-President of the European Food Law Association of the UK, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University. He served for many years on the Board of the Council of Science & Technology Institutes, on the Royal Society's British National Committee for Food & Nutritional Sciences, and on the Council, Executive Committee and Research Co-ordination Committee of the British Food Manufacturing Industries Research Association (now known as Leatherhead Food International).
In 1979 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology.
In 1980 he was elected a Fellow of the US-based Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) "for outstanding contributions in the field of food technology". He served as Chair of the IFT Committee for Global Interests in 2001-2002. He was the 2002 recipient of the IFT's prestigious Carl R. Fellers Award "To honor a member of IFT and Phi Tau Sigma who has brought honor and recognition to the profession of food science and technology through a distinguished career in that profession displaying exemplary leadership, service and communication skills that enhance the effectiveness of all food scientists in serving society".
A Fellow of IFST since its foundation in 1963, its Honorary Fellowship was also conferred on him in 1983 "for outstanding contributions and distinguished service to food science & technology". In 1997 he was honoured with an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List "for scientific services to the food industry" and also was the first recipient of the IFST's Mounfield Award for "an outstanding contribution to the profession of food science and technology".
In 1998 he was elected one of the first Fellows of the International Academy of Food Science & Technology
(IAFoST), of which he was elected a Council Member in 2001 and is now President for 2006-2008The International Union of Food Science & Technology (IUFoST) is the “United Nations”-type country-member global organization of food science and technology. Ralph Blanchfield is one of the three UK delegates to its General Assemblies, He served for eleven years on its Constitution Advisory Committee and was elected Chair of that Committee for 2001-2003. From its inception in 1999 he led IUFoST's Service Delivery Centre 3. He is currently Chair of the Database Task Force for the joint FAO/IUFoST database of food research projects relevant to the food needs of developing countries. He has represented IUFoST at OECD Conferences on Genetic Modification and the International Council of Science (ICSU) Workshop on the production of an ICSU monograph on GM.
In 2003 he was elected a member of the Governing Council of IUFoST for 2003-2006
, and, as President of IAFoST, continues on the IUFoST Governing Council for 2006-2008.
Scientific and technical advice is offered in the food field on product development; flavour applications; food control (quality assurance, quality control, GMP, HACCP) design and monitoring; food safety and food hygiene; manufactured foods; nutritional and dietary foods and food supplements; legislation affecting food and drink products and medicinal food products; statutory labelling requirements; advertising requirements (both legal and Code of Practice); staff selection; organisation; and acting as expert witness. Chemical and microbiological analyses are not carried out, but where required are arranged with the most appropriate choice from several associated reputable laboratories.
Work carried out for a client is charged on the basis of the total (including necessary travelling) time incurred (of which a detailed record is kept and provided), plus expenses incurred. At the end of each month an invoice is presented in respect of all the work carried out during that month. Payment is due within 14 days of the invoice date.
Time spent on any project is kept to the minimum necessary to carry it out thoroughly, competently and effectively. Clients receive prompt, careful and meticulous performance of high quality, based on
the highest professional standards of competence and integrity;
a well-established reputation (including as Past President of the
Institute of Food Science & Technology);
long and widely-varied experience and expertise;
contact with officials at the UK Food Standards Agency, at the UK
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and at the UK Department of Health;
contact with the Code of Advertising Practice Secretariat of the
Advertising Standards Authority and of working with clients' design, public
relations and advertising agencies;
experience of acting as an expert witness, in both civil and criminal cases.
Advice and information is presented in practical terms, uncluttered with scientific jargon.
Naturally, the strictest confidence is maintained on all matters pertaining to clients' business affairs.