John Barnes

John Barnes, former Head of Local Delivery at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and a former Senior Civil Servant, brings a wealth of experience in developing and delivering food safety controls including the development of regulatory voluntary third-party assurance schemes. John’s commitment to the Safe to Trade scheme is driven by his belief in the importance of robust food safety audits to protect public health and enhance consumer confidence.

John’s dedication to the Scheme is rooted in his understanding of the challenges faced by food businesses in an increasingly dynamic and complex marketplace and the greater emphasis being placed on them to have reliable controls in place. He sees the scheme as a crucial tool for helping food business operators demonstrate compliance with legal requirements and protect their business and customers. John’s focus is on using Safe to Trade to build a safer food environment, both for consumers and for businesses.

Three key benefits of the Safe to Trade scheme that John strongly advocates for are:

• Standardised audit processes that include all key legal and customer requirements, reduce inconsistencies and ensure clarity in food safety inspections.
• Strong due diligence defences for Food Business Operators, reduced insurance costs and enhanced consumer confidence in the food they purchase and the environment they eat in.
• Greater ability to analyse data for businesses and influence policy decision-making to improve food safety standards and reduce foodborne diseases.

John envisions Safe to Trade as a transformative initiative that will set new standards for food safety controls and positively impact public health.