A new networking round-table for the North’s food industry is going from strength to strength.

Foodies Unite recently held its second meeting which gathered together attendees from across the North of England to discuss the latest topics affecting the sector including BRC regulatory updates.

The meeting was hosted by Washington-based FEG Ltd, who specialise in design and build, project management and consultancy for the food industry and facilitated by food-specialist training company totrain, which has its headquarters in Norton.

Foodies Unite aims to bring together food organisations large and small from across the North of England and the latest event saw attendees from Teesside University and NEPIC join with representatives from businesses working in the sector from Liverpool to Newcastle.

In association with NEPIC, Foodies Unite held its inaugural meeting in July.

Helen Hood, Director at totrain, said: “The roundtable was formed to provide a platform for discussion on relevant topics within the sector and the first two meetings have been a huge success.

“Our next meeting will be on January 24th and we would like to urge anyone working in the food industry to come along – it’s a great chance to discuss the issues affecting the sector, share excellence and ideas as well as network with colleagues over lunch.

“The group brings together those people involved in the food industry across the North and is a chance for people who have a passion for the sector to join together and help it promote a positive image of the industry.”

John Holmes, Managing Director of Reprotec UK, was one of those who attended. He said: “The round table is a great chance to bring together people involved in all different aspects of the food sector, not just food production, but the support services too. It’s a good opportunity to share experience and talk about the issues which are affecting the industry.”

John Hessey, Managing Director of Hygiene Improvement Solutions, also attended. He said: “It’s great to be involved in this from the inception and while this was only our second meeting, we can already see this will be an important forum to learn about the issues others are facing in the industry and share thoughts and ideas on how to continue to improve the sector.”

And Peter Littleton of Christeyns Food Hygiene said: “Foodies Unite is the ideal place for businesses, large and small, and other organisations involved in the food sector in the North to come together and share their experiences.”