Premier Foods scientist celebrated at FDF Awards
23 September 2016
Gordon Wiseman of Premier Foods plc was named 'Food and Drink Scientist of the Year' at last night's prestigious Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Awards. The ceremony, held at London's The Brewery, celebrated businesses and industry professionals from across the food and drink supply chain.
Gordon, who is based at High Wycombe, has been with Premier Foods since 1985 and is currently Senior Research Associate and Head of the Premier Foods Molecular Diagnostic team. He is a leading scientist in the Premier Foods Central Technical team, tasked with ensuring the company's products are safe and genuine.
An expert in matters of food authenticity and mitigation strategy, Gordon began his work on food fraud working to uncover evidence of pasta adulteration. In 1997 Gordon was awarded a Churchill Fellowship for his study of the effects of geographical origin and grain morphology on durum wheat authenticity, a study that has proved of enormous commercial value in understanding the agronomic factors associated with pasta authenticity. More widely, Gordon has considerable insight into grain authenticity, with a deep knowledge of grain genomes and global usage, as well as knowledge in the area also extending to meat and fish.
Gordon is a core member of the DEFRA Authenticity Steering Group, the DEFRA Authenticity and Additive Methods Working Group (AMWG) and the newly formed AMWG DNA sub-group. Gordon and his team have recently been appointed a DEFRA Centre of Expertise, which recognises organisations that have a particular expertise in authenticity testing. All of these factors recognise his significant contribution to the UK's efforts to combat food fraud and maintain consumer confidence in food.
FDF's Director General Ian Wright said: “Gordon has a reputation as being an expert, influential, and ground-breaking food scientist, who has done much to maintain and strengthen British consumers' confidence in their food. He and his team's recognition by DEFRA as a Centre of Expertise is testament to his reputation and his solid and long-serving background in food authenticity is truly commendable. It is clear that Gordon's scientific and technical knowledge, along with his leadership skills and his determination to drive continuous improvement, make him a worthy winner of this award.”
More information
Event photos are available on FDF's Flickr page
The 2017 FDF Awards will launch in November 2016.
Notes for editors
- The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is the voice of the food and drink manufacturing industry – the UK's largest manufacturing sector.
- View the winners' case studies
- Premier Foods is the UK's largest food producer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. For more information visit
Contact Matthew Evans, Corporate Affairs Division, at: Matthew.Evans@fdf.org.uk, or (0) 20 7420 7152.
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