IOSH
Preserving health, ensuring safety
Food and Drink Industries Community Conference 2026
- Date
- 19 November 2026, 08:15–16:15 GMT
- Type
- Event
Summary
Join health and safety professionals, industry leaders, and experts from across the food and drink sector as we explore the latest challenges, innovations and best practices in creating safer and healthier workplaces.
To ensure the conference is accessible to as many people as possible, you will be able to join either in person or online through our hybrid event format.
We look forward to bringing together professionals from across the industry for what promises to be an engaging and insightful event focused on preserving health and ensuring safety throughout the food and drink sector.
Where and when?
| Detail | Summary |
|---|---|
| Type | Hybrid |
| Dates | 19 November 2026 |
| Time | 08:15–16:15 GMT |
| Venue | IOSH, The Grange, Highfield Drive, Wigston, Leicestershire, LE18 1NN |
Why attend
This hybrid event suits you, whether you join us in the room or online.
-
Learn
Build your knowledge with expert-led sessions.
- CPD opportunities
- Food and drink industry updates
- Expert panels and presentations
-
Connect
Build your network and meet IOSH community volunteers.
- Network with like-minded professionals
- Meet the people behind the community
- Free on-site parking
-
Take part
Join us for this conference in the room or online, whatever suits you best.
- Refreshments provided on-site
- Live online access
- Open to members and non-members
Ticket prices
| Ticket type | In-person | Virtual |
|---|---|---|
| IOSH member | £50.00 | £25.00 |
| IOSH Student Member | £25.00 | £15.00 |
| Non-member | £75.00 | £37.00 |
Register for your place now
Whether you're joining in-person or online, don't miss out on the chance to join the debate, and hear from the experts with key updates within the industry.
Programme details
There’s a full day of presentations and panel discussions from subject-matter experts, giving you valuable insights wherever you are.
-
Driving leadership change
Hannah Sutherland, McCain Foods
How leadership can drive meaningful change across the food and drink industry, supporting innovation, strengthening workplace culture and delivering lasting impact.
-
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Food and Drink Manufacture Health and Safety Forum (FDMF) update
David Buttler, HSE
Latest updates from the HSE and FDM, including key health and safety priorities, emerging challenges and developments affecting food and drink manufacturers.
-
Noise inspections
Chris Steel, HSE
HSE approaches to noise inspections in food and drink manufacturing, including compliance expectations, common risks and practical steps to protect workers’ hearing.
-
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
Chris Lucas, HSE
The causes and prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in food and drink manufacturing, with practical insights into reducing risks and protecting workers’ long-term health.
-
Human in the loop: designing for reality in machinery safety. The human variable
Dom Barraclough and Richard Bowen, Finch Consulting
This engaging and thought-provoking session explores the critical role of human behaviour in machinery safety and asks a simple question: are we designing machines and safety systems for the way people actually work, or for how we wish they worked?
-
Managing serious incidents and fatalaties
Pamela Brown, Best in Practice Safety Forum
Best-practice approaches to managing serious incidents and fatalities, sharing lessons learned and strategies to strengthen safety management and prevent future harm across the industry.
-
Managing occupational stress
Barry Wilkes, HSE
Approaches to managing and preventing occupational stress, including effective risk management strategies and insights from forthcoming research into workplace mental health.
-
An international perspective
Thomas Oshun, IOSH Food and Drinks Industries Community
International approaches to health and safety across the food and drink industry, sharing global perspectives, emerging challenges and opportunities to improve standards and practices.
-
Legal update
Chris Green, Ward Hadaway
An overview of key legal and regulatory developments affecting health and safety in food and drink manufacturing, highlighting emerging obligations and implications for industry practice.
A special thank you to our event sponsor
Finch is a leading risk management consultancy, working worldwide with blue chip clients in multiple sectors including food and drink.
Through their support we are able to bring you our first hybrid event taking place at our IOSH office at The Grange in Leicester!
