Fonterra’s head of research and development, Dr Pierre Venter, has received the Significant Contribution to Food Safety Award at the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology Awards.
Venter leads the team at Fonterra who are behind the co-operative’s food safety and quality science, which underpins risk management.
As director of research and development at Fonterra, Venter has more than 20 years of innovation and extensive experience under his belt.
“We are delighted to present Dr Venter with the award,” said New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.
“He has contributed immensely to food safety in New Zealand and internationally throughout his career. He has built a reputation for transformation, operations optimisation, innovative strategic thinking, working with the highest level of integrity, and a deep commitment to product leadership culture and people development.”
Among his achievements are two global patents: a tool for advanced risk communication with a broad range of risk managers, including regulators and customers, and spatial modelling of pathogen distribution inside manufacturing facilities.
“He has shown leadership in food safety science more broadly through his active support of other New Zealand businesses, dealing with food safety and quality challenges, fundamental research supervising post-graduate students, and his contributions to the New Zealand Food Safety and Science Research Centre,” said Arbuckle.
Venter hopes the award will inspire others to undertake a food safety career and to continue innovative thinking and growth of the discipline.
“Food safety is not merely a matter of science and technology, but also of social and ethical commitment. Much of my career has been dedicated to advancing the understanding and application of food safety science, and to collaborating with various partners to ensure the highest standards of food quality and safety,” Venter said.
“This award reflects the collaborative efforts and accomplishments of many in the food safety community, and in particular the team at the Fonterra Research and Development Centre.”
Previous winners of the Significant Contribution to Food Safety Award include Dr Rob Lake (2023) and Plant and Food’s Food Safety and Preservation Team (2022).
