Prof Chris ElliottAcademic

Biography

Professor Chris Elliott OBE (PhD, FRSC, FRSB, MRIA) is the founder of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast, where he now holds an Honorary Professorship, and is also Professor of Food Security at Thammasat University in Thailand. He has published over 600 peer-reviewed articles on the detection and control of agricultural, food and environmental contaminants, cited more than 24,000 times. He led the UK Government's independent review of food supply networks following the 2013 horsemeat scandal, whose final report in 2014 recommended, among other measures, the creation of what became the National Food Crime Unit. He was awarded an OBE in 2017 for services to the agri-food supply chain and received the Royal Society of Chemistry Theophilus Redwood Prize the same year. Elliott is a frequent media commentator on food fraud, food safety threats, and the resilience of UK food supply chains.

References

1. 1.Professor Chris Elliott OBE – Find an Expert, Queen's University Belfast — Role title, organisation, horsemeat review, OBE, media commentary role, press contact email
2. 2.Professor Chris Elliott | Contributor | New Food Magazine — Current Honorary Professor status at QUB, Thammasat University role, 600+ publications, UN advisory roles, 2024 honorary doctorate, RSC Theophilus Redwood Prize, Royal Irish Academy fellowship
3. 3.Queen's Professor appointed first Honorary President of The Society of Food Hygiene and Technology – QUB News — SOFHT Honorary Presidency (2023), Dorothy Cullinane Award, Food Fortress concept
4. 4.Institute for Global Food Security – Queen's University Belfast Research Portal — IGFS address and postcode (19 Chlorine Gardens, BT9 5DL, Belfast)
5. 5.

Expertise

Cited on

• Cancer

Stated areas of expertise

• Food fraud and food crime
• Food supply chain integrity
• Chemical contaminants in agri-food
• Food safety policy
• Border controls and illegal food imports
• Global food security

Notable achievements

• Led the UK Government's independent Elliott Review into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks following the 2013 horsemeat scandal, with recommendations published in 2014 that led to the creation of the National Food Crime Unit. Source ↗
• Awarded an OBE in 2017 for services to the agri-food supply chain. Source ↗
• Elected to the Royal Irish Academy in 2020 in recognition of outstanding academic achievements. Source ↗
• Appointed first Honorary President of the Society of Food Hygiene and Technology (SOFHT) in 2023, and awarded its Dorothy Cullinane Award for special contribution to food safety. Source ↗
• Awarded an honorary Doctorate from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna in 2024. Source ↗
• Received the Agilent Thought Leader Award in recognition of contributions to food authenticity and novel approaches to food fraud detection.

What they’ve said

• “A decade on from the WHO report, the UK government has done virtually nothing to reduce exposure to nitrites, the curing agents that make these products pink and long-lasting but also create nitrosamines, compounds known to trigger cancer. Every year of delay means more preventable cancers, more families affected and greater strain on the NHS.”

  Former government adviser on food safety · Cancer · 27 Aug 2026 · Scientists demand cancer warnings on bacon and ham sold in UK ↗

• “Consumers are moving first, responding to the overwhelming scientific evidence linking nitrite-cured meats to cancer and the realisation that these chemicals simply don't need to be used to make the bacon and ham that so many of us love to eat.”

  leading food safety expert · Cancer · 27 Aug 2026 · Supermarkets hit by falling demand for nitrite-cured bacon due to cancer fears ↗

Source references

1. Scientists demand cancer warnings on bacon and ham sold in UKtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. Supermarkets hit by falling demand for nitrite-cured bacon due to cancer fearstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.qub.ac.uk/News/find-an-expert/ProfessorChrisElliottOBE.html
• LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-elliott-36753120/published here ↗
• Press office emailcomms.office@qub.ac.ukpublished here ↗
• Websitehttps://www.newfoodmagazine.com/professor-chris-elliott/421641.bio

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.