Milling News
New food crime unit
Horsemeat scandal watchdog R-Biopharm Rhône welcomes plan for new food crime unit
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he Scottish-based company, which was at the forefront of food safety in the horsemeat scandal of 2012, has welcomed the Government’s plan to set up a food crime unit to combat the trade in fraudulent products. R-Biopharm Rhône, the manufacturer and one of Scotland’s biggest exporter of diagnostic test kits, hailed the recommendation which is the major plank in a report by food security expert Professor Chris Elliott of Queen’s University Belfast. He has suggested food crime prevention measures including better intelligence gathering, unannounced audits, improved lab testing capacity and a more investigative approach by the food industry to its supply chain. Simon Bevis, Managing Director of R-Biopharm Rhône, said: “This is a welcome move and it is encouraging that ministers have indicated that all the recommendations in Professor Elliott’s report will be accepted. “It is of the utmost importance that consumers in the UK can have confidence in the provenance of their food and be assured that the product is actually what it is labeled as. If it is not, then it is fraud.”
R-Biopharm Rhône was in the front line of the UK’s defences against food contamination during the horsemeat scandal two years ago, when the Food Standards Agency found beefburgers with traces of equine DNA, leading to tens of millions of burgers being taken off the shelves by major retailers. The company is now spearheading investigatory testing as concerns mount about cheap fish being substituted for expensive fish without the consumer knowing. Carol Donnelly, Marketing Manager at R-Biopharm Rhône, said: “We are seeing increasing concerns, particularly in the fish processing industry, about cheap fish, such as pollock or coley, being substituted for premium species such as cod.” The Glasgow-based company sells DNA test kits which can determine the authenticity of fish products and provides a testing service to speedily let companies know if their fish is the species they paid for.
UK industry stalwart Pat Donovan passes away Patrick Donovan CBE passed away peacefully on Monday 2 February, aged 90
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at was born in the Liverpool area but spent his first few years in Dublin. He came to England in the 1930’s after his father left the family flour milling business (John Donovan & Sons) in Tralee, County Kerry and set up Kings Mills at Knottingley, Yorkshire. He was later educated at Belmont Abbey School, Hereford. He was always keen on sport and became Captain of the school rugby team. In later years he returned to play in the Old Boys rugby matches. One year he captained the Old Boys team and the school captain was his eldest son David as his three sons went to the same school. On leaving school he joined the family flour-milling firm, Kings Mills at Knottingley and served his apprentice there. Having obtained his first class City and Guilds certificate he then went to do his National Service in the Army and got a commission. On leaving the army he re-joined the family business with his brother Denis as his father had had a stroke. He and his brothers continued to expand the business. Then in 1962 the family sold out to Associated British Foods and became part of Allied Mills Ltd. Pat and Denis continued at Kings Mills until Pat was moved to some of the other mills within the group before becoming Managing Director of Allied Mills: later to become Chairman 16 | Milling and Grain
and Managing Director; then a Director of Associated British Foods Ltd under the Chairmanship of Garry Weston. Pat then made sure Allied Mills kept up to date and in the fore front of the milling industry. He started to expand the activities of the group into starch production, grain merchanting, rice milling, grain import and export and maize milling. He was very much involved in the activities of the National Association of British and Irish Millers of which he was President on two occasions for his work for NABIM he was awarded the CBE. On a few occasions he was invited to America to talk to the milling industry there about the improvements in the modern milling industry. His widow, Margaret, survives him. Pat has three sons none of whom came into the milling industry but were successful in their careers. He was always concerned about members of his staff and took an interest in them. Rugby was his main sport playing as regular member of Headingley Rugby Club (Leeds) and for Yorkshire. The other sports he played were tennis and badminton. He liked walking and did so most days. The funeral will be held on Tuesday February 24 with a Requiem mass 11:30 at St Gregory’s Catholic Church, St James Square, Cheltenham GL50 8LE (No flowers please, donations instead to Stroke Association and Age UK). Contributed by Noel Donovan, Pat’s brother.