Safe Food, Strong Science: UK Research Network Gears Up for Next Phase

Backed by new Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Food Standards Agency funding, the Food Safety Research Network is expanding its work to tackle the UK’s most pressing foodborne risks: by connecting science with those who feed the nation.

Dr Melissa Antoniou-Kourounioti and Dr Matthew Gilmour - Image courtesy of Food Safety Research Network

Keeping food safe is a shared challenge and a national priority. Every year in the UK, foodborne illness causes over 2.4 million cases of food poisoning and costs the economy around £11 billion.

Behind the scenes, food businesses of all sizes work tirelessly to ensure the safety of what we eat. But with new risks emerging and longstanding ones evolving, there’s growing demand for faster innovation, better data, and regulatory approaches that keep pace with change.

The Food Safety Research Network was established in 2022 with strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to meet this need, by connecting the expertise of researchers with the hands-on knowledge of food producers, manufacturers, and policymakers.

Now, with renewed support from BBSRC and FSA, the network is entering a major new phase to build on the momentum of its first three years. FSRN has been awarded £650,000 over three years, and this next chapter will accelerate the translation of research into real-world food safety solutions, strengthen connections across the wider food system, and catalyse targeted investment to tackle emerging and evolving risks.

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, Executive Chair of BBSRC said “Ensuring a safe, resilient and future-ready food system is a national priority and one that depends on strong collaboration between science, industry and government. That’s why BBSRC is proud to continue our partnership with the Food Standards Agency to support the Food Safety Research Network as it enters its next phase.

“By uniting academic insight with real-world expertise, the network has already demonstrated its power to drive practical solutions to complex food safety challenges. Its inclusive, cross-sector approach is not only tackling today’s risks but laying the foundations for a safer, more sustainable food future.”

From the start, FSRN’s approach has been to listen to the perspectives of its members, who have the hands-on knowledge of food safety issues, to identify the most critical risks and prioritise those to be addressed by interdisciplinary teams with wide skillsets.

FSRN has already grown to include almost 500 members from 290 organisations. It has run 11 workshops and supported 42 collaborative research projects, distributing £1.88 million of funding to multidisciplinary consortia that unite scientific researchers with industry and policymaking perspectives. It has become a trusted, inclusive community, offering valuable training and support, especially for early career researchers and SMEs.

Dr Matthew Gilmour, FSRN co-director and Quadram Institute research group leader said “We’re hitting the ground running with real energy and purpose. The Food Safety Research Network has shown what’s possible when you bring food businesses and researchers into the same room to solve real-world problems.

“From day one, our model has been built on listening to understand what businesses genuinely need to manage risk and stay ahead of emerging challenges. Building on those insights, we’ve forged partnerships that deliver practical benefits, while also giving government a clearer view of the wider food-safety research landscape.”

“This next phase is all about doing more of what works—bringing in more collaborators, more champions, and creating even greater impact.”

The projects FSRN has supported encompass how to reduce the risk of known microbial pathogens, understanding and navigating risk in novel foods and processes, and applying new tools and knowledge to food safety, including for consumers at home.

In response to outbreaks of foodborne Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), FSRN are playing a pivotal role in coordinating a harmonised response across food businesses, food testing labs and the government, to develop a fit-for-purpose STEC test and clarify STEC-related reporting regulations and practices guidance.

FSRN provided early financial support to the University of Leicester and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to develop materials that help innovators get bacteriophage products to market. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. Their properties mean that different bacteriophage can be used to target and kill specific bacteria and so they hold promise as an alternative to antibiotics.

In another project, FSRN are working with the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) and Fera Science to bring together vertical farmers and develop best practice guidance for this new field.

FSRN has also funded work on novel foods, such as plant-based and insect proteins. FSRN-funded projects explored the microbial risks associated with novel foods, to help develop strategies to control these risks in food production.

The network also supported the UK Edible Insects Association to bring the community together in two conferences, in 2024 and 2025, with a view to establishing this as an annual event.

Dr Nick Rousseau who leads the UK Edible Insect Association said "We are very pleased to be associated with this excellent initiative.  The workshop and subsequent research prioritisation project that we ran with the support of the FSRN has been invaluable in helping the emerging farmed insect protein sector in the UK to engage with the research community and develop collaborations."

What epitomises these projects has been the way FSRN has been able to work across the traditional boundaries between academic research, food production environments and regulatory oversight.

Alec Kyriakides, Independent Food Safety Consultant commented “FSRN has proven to be one of the most value-adding research networks for food safety professionals where today’s food safety challenges can be explored and targeted solutions developed. What is so special is the breadth of the network members together with the speed with which research funding can be accessed, allowing rapid and practical improvements in food safety management."

The next phase of the Food Safety Research Network has four priority areas to develop solutions to reduce this threat. The first of these is to reduce the risk from known pathogens, such as E. coli in ready to eat foods, biofilms and the use of in situ pathogen surveillance. The second priority area is understanding novel and emerging risks, such as climate change, novel plant-based and insect sources of protein and guidance for vertical farming.

The third priority area is concerned with how to apply food safety knowledge and technology to traditional practices. This ranges from certified training to collaborative actions, supply chain mapping and ways to share microbial data across the food industry.

The final priority area is looking at food safety in the home and understanding storage and preparation risks and the food-safety beliefs and behaviours of consumers. The aim is to find effective ways to improve food safety in the home, for example by improving the design of domestic fridges to deliver safer and longer lasting food.

To drive the Food Safety Research Network, its leadership team has been expanded to bring on board additional experts.

Each priority area is represented by both an industry and an academic champion. Alongside other expert champions for policy, training and industry engagement, they will advise the leadership team on strategy and partnership opportunities.

The FSRN Leadership Team is made up of the Quadram Institute, Newcastle University, University of Southampton, Fera Science, University of Leeds, the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Food Standards Agency, Alec Kyriakides consultant, the Fresh Produce Consortium, Samworth Brothers, Queen’s University Belfast, UK Edible Insects Association, Asda and Chilled Food Association.

You can find out more and sign up to the Network by visiting the website: https://fsrn.quadram.ac.uk/