Certification Body Impartiality Committee member
Selvarani Elahi
"I am thrilled to be part of the Safe to Trade initiative. This scheme’s standardised approach to food hygiene and safety audits offers a groundbreaking solution to the inconsistencies that often plague traditional audit methods. I am particularly enthusiastic about its potential to promote food supply chain integrity, inform on allergen labelling and reduce the incidence of foodborne diseases, ultimately contributing to the health and well-being of consumers worldwide."
Selvarani Elah, the UK Deputy Government Chemist and Executive Director of the Food Authenticity Network at LGC, is a passionate advocate for food safety and authenticity. A Chartered Chemist and fellow of both the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), Selvarani has dedicated her career to ensuring the integrity of food systems. Her significant contributions to food measurement science were recognised with an MBE in 2020.
Selvarani’s passion for the Safe to Trade scheme stems from her deep commitment to protecting consumers and enhancing food safety standards. She believes that the scheme’s standardised approach to food hygiene and safety audits offers a groundbreaking solution to the inconsistencies that often plague traditional audit methods. By creating a clear and consistent audit standard, which goes beyond regulatory compliance, Safe to Trade encourages excellence helping to reduce the likelihood of food safety contraventions and builds consumer confidence in the food they purchase.
As Chair of the Certification Body Impartiality Committee, Selvarani is dedicated to ensuring the impartiality of certification decisions. Her extensive experience in the food industry equips her with a keen understanding of the complexities and challenges involved in auditing food safety systems. She is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency in the certification process, ensuring that decisions are based solely on objective evidence and not influenced by external pressures.
Selvarani sees Safe to Trade as a crucial tool for improving food safety standards globally. By providing a novel option for regulators to complement official controls, she recognises the potential of the scheme to influence national government policies and offer enable local authorities the opportunity to allocate their limited resources more effectively. Selvarani is particularly enthusiastic about the scheme’s potential to promote supply chain integrity and reduce the incidence of foodborne diseases (FBD), ultimately contributing to the health and well-being of consumers worldwide.
