Food Club International, a support and networking club for food businesses in London and the Home Counties, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Formerly known as The Food Club, Food Club International was set up in September 1996 as a self-funded support and networking club for food businesses in the Brent and Harrow areas of West London, before gradually extending its geographical reach.
It provides support to its members across areas, including the sale and purchase of companies, filling staff vacancies, legal enquiries and sourcing of food products and ingredients.
The club has also provided guidance on food hygiene, trading standards and environmental health issues and nutritional labelling.
Its membership represents all sectors of the food supply chain from food manufacturers, importers, exporters, food wholesalers and distributors, caterers and a range of companies supplying specialist services to the food manufacturing sector.
The club meets ten times a year. This year’s programme has included presentations from Jim Moseley, chairman of Red Tractor Assurance; Chris Wells, managing director of Leatherhead Food Research; and Terry Jones, director general of the National Farmers Union.
Food Club International chairman, Rob Nugent, said: “Our members have a wealth of knowledge and experience, which they share to the benefit of all those attending our meetings.
“Consolidation in the food industry in the last decade has made life very difficult for many trade organisations. I’m happy that the Food Club is celebrating its 20th birthday in great shape.The food trade is dynamic but, by keeping in close touch with our membership, we’ve been able to develop a range of contemporary and relevant services to meet their aspirations. This remains our goal for the next 20 years.”
Meat Management columnist, John Howard, who represented the Danish pork and bacon industry in the UK for over 30 years, has recently joined the Food Club International management committee.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
