Alan Lacey becomes chair of SOFHT

Alan Lacey, operations compliance manager, Asda has been appointed as the Chair of The Society of Food Hygiene and Technology (SOFHT).

Formerly head of regulatory affairs at Sainsbury’s, he has been an active member of SOFHT for 19 years and served as its vice chair for the last two years.

It follows the end of a two year tenure by Catherine Watkinson, group technical director of Stonegate.

Lacey said he was proud to take over the Society in its 35th anniversary year.

"The food industry has changed a great deal in those 35 years; products and innovations that we take for granted today could not have been imagined in 1979. Neither could some of the hazards and crises we’ve encountered along the way.​

"The food industry is hugely important to the UK - we export 20% of the food we produce - and we will continue to support our members with technical and legal advice so that they can optimise their businesses and deal with problems that are bound to arise as markets get more demanding and the industry becomes more complex."​