Food Industry Awards:
The Results...

2022 Verner Wheelock Excellence Award Winners

Verner Wheelock has been providing food industry training ever since the Food Safety Act was passed in 1990. We have trained thousands of delegates over the years. The Verner Wheelock Excellence Awards are our way of recognising outstanding delegates and also companies dedicated to training excellence and ethical excellence.

There are 6 awards – HACCP Student of the Year, Food Safety Student of the Year, Auditing Student of the Year, Individual Excellence, Company Excellence and Ethical Excellence.

The winners are:

Food Safety Student of the Year

Sergei Jegorov, Vendor Assurance, Co-ordinator Speedibake

“Food Safety Level 4 with Verner Wheelock is one of the best investments I’ve made. The course was intense, full of discussion and insights from their highly experienced tutors Peter and Nigel. Apart from deeper knowledge of food safety, the course also teaches the importance of management mindset - Plan, Do, Check, Act when managing food safety. I can highly recommend Verner Wheelock for Food Safety training.”

HACCP Student of the Year

Michael Murray, Technical Officer, Hilltop Honey Ltd

“You don’t need to be a delegate from a huge organisation to be considered for a Verner Wheelock Excellence Award - and here’s proof! Michael, from award-winning Hilltop Honey was very pleased to be recognised our HACCP award. He achieved a strong examination result, demonstrated his ability during exercises and contributed to discussions throughout the course.”

Auditing Student of the Year

Karen Miles, Senior QA, Soreen

“I was very surprised to receive this award, I completed the course remotely but with a good mixture of theory and interactive practical sessions, it was very well organised and there was plenty of opportunities to interact. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and would highly recommend to others”

Individual Excellence Award

Molly Jones, L&D Administrator, BBF Limited

“At BBF we always focus on individual excellence so to get this specific award, is amazing! I felt really supported during my training, which helped me understand, as well as all the tasks and interactive sessions. It has made me much more confident when it comes to helping others understand the importance of food safety. Verner Wheelock has an amazing team which I get to work alongside for our training needs, and I look forward to doing more with them.”

Company Excellence Award

Ornua Ingredients Europe

Ornua Ingredients Europe Ledbury Technical Manager Rachel McNeill commented: "Delegates from Ornua Ingredients Europe UK have undertaken a variety of different training with Verner Wheelock to enable them to undertake their jobs to the best of their ability, contribute to the company and progress their careers within the food industry. Verner Wheelock has awarded Ornua Ingredients Europe UK the Company Excellence Award 2022 for demonstrating commitment to a culture of continuous improvement in food safety throughout the organisation. This is due to our structured approach to training to ensure staff, from new starters to management, have an understanding of Food Safety, HACCP and Auditing Skills at a level appropriate to their role.

Ethical Excellence Award

Cooke Aquaculture Scotland Ltd

“Cooke Aquaculture Scotland are thrilled to win this ethical excellence award. It acknowledges the hard work the teams have put in to guarantee we operate in a principled manner committing to a culture of continuous improvement in ethical training. All employees, from new starters to management, always ensure best practice whilst adhering to ethical principles and this award is for each and every one of the teams that have helped us ensuring this best practice!” – Vicci Laird, Head of HR (UK)

Congratulations to all our 2022 award winners!

Verner Wheelock trains yet another RSPH award-winner in 2019

Craig Darby with Natasha Kaplinsky

Verner Wheelock delegate, Craig Darby, of Samworth Brothers, achieved the highest marks in the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)’s Level 4 Food Safety & Hygiene examination and was awarded the RSPH Hygeia Award for Food Safety from broadcaster Natasha Kaplinsky at a recent ceremony in London.

Craig attended the 5-day advanced level food safety course in January, at Verner Wheelock’s training centre in Skipton, North Yorkshire.

He said, “I’m very proud to have won this award – although it was completely unexpected! I thoroughly enjoyed the course itself. There was a large and varied subject matter to cover, but the trainers at Verner Wheelock were very engaging throughout.” He added, “I’ve completed several courses at Verner Wheelock now. The staff are always friendly and the tutors definitely know their stuff. The training facility at Broughton Hall is also a really pleasant environment to work in.”

Craig joins a long line of Verner Wheelock delegates who have been RSPH prize winners. Last year Lynn-Anne Allinson of Symingtons picked up the Food Safety Award. The previous year Verner Wheelock delegates were awarded the RSPH prizes for both Food Safety and HACCP. In fact, in the past 5 years the company has trained 7 out of the 10 prize winners.

Lynn-Anne Allinson

Lynn-Anne Allinson is the latest in a number of Verner Wheelock delegates to win the Food Safety prize at the Royal Society of Public Health’s (RSPH) annual Hygeia Awards.

A Raw Materials Specialist at dried foods manufacturer, Symington’s in Leeds, Lynn-Anne received the award for achieving the top marks in the RSPH Level 4 Award in Managing Food Safety and Hygiene (Manufacturing) examination this year.

She took the examination after completing an intensive 5-day training course at food industry training specialist, Verner Wheelock, based on the Broughton Hall Business Park in Skipton, North Yorkshire. The prizes were presented by broadcaster Natasha Kaplinsky at a ceremony in London recently.

This is the fourth time that a Verner Wheelock delegate has received the RSPH Food Safety prize in the past five years. Last year it was won by Justyna Pupiec-Adamowicz of Nestle and in 2015 and 2014 it was won by other Symingtons employees Sarah Jolly-Hart and Liane Davis (shared with Verner Wheelock delegate Peter Smith). Verner Wheelock delegates have also won the HACCP prize twice during this time.

After the event, Lynn-Anne said: “I am delighted to have received the RSPH prize. Taking the Level 4 Award in Food Safety & Hygiene has given me added confidence in my knowledge in this area, as well as providing a useful insight into other areas of food manufacturing to which I’ve not yet had exposure.”

Speaking of her experience at Verner Wheelock, she said, “I thoroughly enjoyed the course delivered by Verner Wheelock. The training materials were of an excellent standard, and the tutors extremely knowledgeable in their field. There was a great collaborative learning environment in which both tutors and students all shared their experiences from their different areas of the food industry, which I found beneficial.”

Verner Wheelock has been providing food safety, HACCP and auditing courses to the food industry since 1990. The company also offers specialist courses such as Practical Allergen Awareness , Legal Labelling, Root Cause Analysis and Ethical Trading Workshops.

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is the UK’s longest-established public health organisation in the UK. Its qualifications are highly regarded within the food and other industries. It was formed in October 2008 through the merger of the Royal Society of Health and the Royal Institute of Public Health.

If you ever needed a reason to train with Verner Wheelock – here’s two!  This year two Verner Wheelock delegates won the top prizes for the Level 4 Award in Food Safety for Manufacturing and Level 4 Award in HACCP at the prestigious Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) AGM in London. Yanis Skerstins, a Global A&A auditor at pladis Global’s Midlands Distribution Centre in Ashby-de-la-Zouch was the joint recipient of the RSPH HACCP prize. Another Verner Wheelock delegate, Justyna Pupiec-Adamowicz, a Hygiene Manager at Nestle UK in Carlisle, won the prize for Food Safety in Manufacturing.

Yanis Skerstins

Picture by: www.matthewwalkerphotography.com

Yanis was thrilled to receive his RSPH prize, saying, “I am incredibly pleased to be receiving an RSPH prize for my result in Level 4 Award in HACCP. I thoroughly enjoyed studying with Verner Wheelock. The combination of friendly staff, engaging tutors and beautiful countryside surroundings creates the perfect learning environment. The tutor used his own industry knowledge and encouraged the room to share their experiences to ensure everyone understood both the theoretical and practical applications of HACCP.  

Since the course I assumed a lead role within the pladis Wigston HACCP team and have recently started working within the global audit and assessment function for pladis (formerly United Biscuits). The skills learnt from the HACCP course,as well as the Level 4 Food Safety course, have enabled me to effectively review supplier HACCP plans and evaluate their effectiveness.”

Justyna Pupiec-Adamowicz

Picture by: www.matthewwalkerphotography.com

Justyna said “My working day is focused around GMP including hygiene, pest management and food safety, so it was great to get the RSPH prize for Level 4 Food Safety.  I really enjoyed my training with Verner Wheelock. I felt that the course materials, examples and level of detail provided was perfect for me. All the tutors were very experienced both practically and theoretically and the training took place in a nice, diverse and relaxing atmosphere.  It really boosted my confidence.”

The prizes are proof of how great training and revision can pay off. We pride ourselves on our excellent exam results across all the courses we offer. Not just Food Safety and HACCP, but also Auditing and our specialist courses. We believe that only using experienced tutors with practical industry experience makes all the difference. They bring courses to life with real-life examples. Plus, because they’ve worked in food manufacturing environments themselves, they understand the challenges faced and are able to answer delegates’ questions.

Our Managing Director, Alison Wheelock, commented, “We’re so pleased that Yanis and Justyna won the prizes. The Level 4 examinations are pretty tough and to have achieved the highest marks this year means that they both understood the subjects fully and worked really hard.” Verner Wheelock delegates have scooped the annual RSPH prizes for Level 4 Food Safety and Level 4 HACCP on numerous occasions. 2015’s Level 4 Food Safety in manufacturing prize went to Sarah Jolly-Hart, who was based at Symington’s. Sarah’s former colleague Lianne Davis shared the award in 2014 with another Verner Wheelock delegate, Peter Smith. Helen Kearney of Nature’s Best took the Level 4 HACCP prize that year.

Symington’s Technical Manager wins RSPH Level 4 Food Safety Prize at 2015 ceremony

Verner Wheelock has an exceptional track record in Level 4 Food Safety. In three out of the past four years, delegates we have trained have achieved the highest examination marks in the UK and received a coveted award from the RSPH.

In 2011, it was won by Wayne Bonadie, at the time with Dairycrest. In 2013 two delegates from Verner Wheelock were Level 4 Food Safety prizewinners – Peter Smith of QSDA and Lianne Davis of Symington’s. (Verner Wheelock delegate Helen Kearney of Nature’s Best also scooped the Level 4 HACCP award that year).

A double-whammy for Symington’s

Picture by: www.matthewwalkerphotography.com

The award for 2014 went to Lianne’s colleague at Symington’s, Sarah Jolly-Hart, who is a Technical Manager at the company’s largest site in Leeds. She collected the award at the annual RSPH conference in October this year.

Sarah says of the training: “I was Quality Manager at a smaller Symington’s site and I’ve actually been promoted over the last two years to be a Technical Manager at the largest site within the company.  The most useful aspect of this qualification for me was the microbiology side. The training gave me a better understanding of microbiological requirements, which I’ve been able to integrate into my HACCP plan.

As a Technical Manager my main role is to provide safe food for the consumers and make sure we are compliant with all retailers Codes of Practice and also any food industry standards that we have to work to. This qualification has helped me in my career and in my workplace.”

Verner Wheelock students scoop fifty percent of qualifications awards at RSPH ceremony 2014

Students who trained with Verner Wheelock during 2013 scooped fifty percent of the qualification awards at the recent Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) Conference and Awards Ceremony.

Over 66,000 people per year take RSPH examinations, but only six awards were presented for the highest marks achieved in the past year. These were awarded to Verner Wheelock Students Lianne Davis (pictured), and Peter Smith, who were joint winners of the RSPH Level 4 Award in Food Safety in Manufacturing title; and Helen Kearney, who scored the highest marks in the RSPH Level 4 HACCP Award in Managing the HACCP System examination.

Lianne, who is a Quality and Specifications Technologist for Bradford-based dried convenience foods manufacturer, Symington’s was presented with a certificate by John Cridland of the CBI at the event in London. Consultant Peter Smith of QSDA, Fife, and Helen Kearney who is an Operations Manager at Nature’s Best, based in Drogheda, Ireland, were unable to attend the event, so Alison Wheelock and Carole Dickason of Verner Wheelock accepted their awards on their behalf.

Carole said of the RSPH conference and ceremony, which also featured presentations from Professor Sir Michael Marmot and Jane Ellison MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health, “I found the talks informed and inspiring and I felt really privileged to be able to celebrate the achievements of our three delegates during the awards ceremony.”

2007

Certificate in Nutrition and Health	The Thomas Latimer Cleave Memorial Prize
Level 4 Award in Food Safety in Catering	1st Prize
Advanced Certificate in Applied HACCP Principles	1st Prize

Janet Harding of North Yorkshire County Caterers receives The Thomas Latimer Cleave Memorial Prize from Noel Cleave, for the RSPH Certificate in Nutrition & Health, 2007.

Jo Knight from Derbyshire Healthy Schools receives the award for the RSPH Level 4 Award in Food Safety in Catering, 2007.

Chris Robinson of Gibson’s Foods receives his award for the best student in the RSPH Advanced Certificate in Applied HACCP Principles, 2007.

2005

Certificate in Nutrition and Health	The Thomas Latimer Cleave Memorial Prize
Intermediate Certificate in Food Safety	Sainsbury’s plc (1st Prize)

Margaret Fleming receives the Thomas Latimer Cleave Memorial Prize 2005 from Noel Cleave

Emma Grace receives the Sainsbury’s plc prize for the top RSPH student in Intermediate Food Safety 2005

2004

Advanced Certificate in Food Safety

Sainsbury’s plc

Sivaji Poduri receives the Sainsbury’s plc Prize for the highest mark in the RSPH Advanced Certificate in Food Safety 2004.

2003

Certificate in Nutrition and Health	The Thomas Latimer Cleave Memorial Prize
Intermediate Certificate in Applied HACCP Principles	General Mills Europe Prize

Jayne Miller receives the General Mills Europe Prize for the best student in the Intermediate Certificate in Applied HACCP Principles 2003.

2000

Intermediate Certificate in Applied HACCP Principles

The Pillsbury Europe Prize

1999

Certificate in Nutrition and Health

The Thomas Latimer Cleave Memorial Prize

1998

Intermediate Certificate in Applied HACCP Principles	The Pillsbury Europe Prize
Certificate in Food Hygiene and Safety	Dettox Prize

1997

Certificate in Nutrition and Health	The Thomas Latimer Cleave Memorial Prize
Diploma in Food Hygiene and Safety	The Gardner Merchant Prize