About the award
New Zealand food and beverage production is full of outstanding people who demonstrate a positive contribution to food safety in New Zealand. We want to highlight their work now more than ever.
Sponsored by New Zealand Food Safety, the Significant Contribution to Food Safety Award is part of the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology (NZIFST) Awards.
The award recognises an organisation, team, or individual that displays outstanding, original or creative improvements or developments to food safety.
The award winner will be announced in June at the 2025 NZIFST conference dinner. The Significant Contribution to Food Safety Award winner will receive a certificate of recognition and trophy, a ticket to attend the dinner, and a contribution towards the travel and accommodation costs to attend.
New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology 2025 conference
Nominations and eligibility
We welcomed nominations from any sector within the food industry. Nominations were open to those who worked at a New Zealand organisation or contributed to New Zealand’s food safety system.
Fields of achievement included but were not limited to:
- building and maintaining an effective food safety culture (such as staff engagement, leadership, or continual improvement)
- equipment or processing technology
- industry best practice
- product or packaging development
- science and research
- contribution to a well-functioning food safety system.
Achievements must demonstrate a positive contribution to food safety in New Zealand.
An organisation, team, or individual could be nominated and self-nominations were also accepted.
2024 award winner
Dr Pierre Venter Director of Research and Development at Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited has been awarded the 2024 Significant Contribution to Food Safety Award for his substantial impact on Fonterra’s food safety and quality science that underpins risk management.
He is also recognised for his world-leading research on applied food safety science and advocating and influencing transformation of food safety and quality science, risk management, and communication in the global arena.
Previous award winners
In 2023, the Significant Contribution to Food Safety Award went to Dr Rob Lake of the Institute of Environmental Science.
Dr Lake was recognised for his many contributions to food safety in New Zealand over his 35-year career, including leadership of national studies on acute gastrointestinal illness and campylobacteriosis.
Previous winners of the award are Plant and Food's highly regarded Food Safety and Preservation Team (2022), Denver McGregor (2021), Aaron Dodunski (2020), Rosie Waller (2019), Professor Nigel French (2018), and Dr Lesley Rhodes (2017).
