EVENTS
British Pest Control Association (BPCA) has announced the Society of Food Hygiene and Technology (SOFHT) as the first strategic partner for PestAware Summit 2027.
SOFHT will partner with BPCA on the Food Security and Resilience stream at the new conference, taking place at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, on Wednesday, 17 March 2027.
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The partnership will help bring professional pest management and the food sector closer together, creating opportunities to share knowledge and have practical conversations about preventing pest risks across the food supply chain.
SOFHT members will also receive discounted tickets to PestAware Summit as part of the partnership.
A SOFHT spokesperson said: "We know pest management is an essential part of an effective food safety system. This partnership gives our members an opportunity to hear directly from pest management experts, share the challenges facing food businesses and explore how prevention, technology and good communication can help strengthen resilience across the supply chain.
"We’re delighted to be working with BPCA and would encourage SOFHT members to take advantage of the discounted tickets and join us in Nottingham."
Bringing pest management and food professionals together
Pest management is an important control within food safety systems. Pest activity can contribute to contamination, failed audits, stock loss, enforcement action, reputational damage and, in serious cases, closure.
BPCA’s No Small Matter report found that 15% of all pest management jobs take place in food services.
But good pest management is about much more than responding when something has already gone wrong.
PestAware Summit has been designed around prevention, giving pest professionals and the sectors they support an opportunity to better understand each other’s challenges.
Rosina Robson, BPCA Chief Executive, said:
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Society of Food Hygiene and Technology as our first strategic partner for PestAware Summit.
“SOFHT is a fantastic fit for the Food Security and Resilience stream because we want this conference to bring pest professionals together with the people responsible for protecting food businesses every day.
“Pest management works best when it’s part of the bigger food safety conversation. By bringing our two communities together, we can share expertise, challenge each other and build a better understanding of what effective pest prevention looks like from farm to fork.”
Food security and resilience
The Food Security and Resilience stream is aimed at pest professionals working in and around food environments, as well as food producers, manufacturers, storage operators, ports, retailers, auditors, and standard setters.
Sessions will explore areas including smarter use of pest management data, emerging pest threats to supply chains, stored product insects, regulation and resistance, the changing role of chemical control, and how businesses can close the gaps pests exploit between harvest and market.
For food professionals, it is an opportunity to gain closer insight into the technical expertise behind professional pest management and to consider how pest prevention fits into wider food safety, compliance and resilience plans.
One Summit, four streams
Food Security and Resilience is one of four specialist streams at PestAware Summit 2027, alongside Public Health and Communities, Hospitality and Hygiene, and Conservation and Biodiversity.
Delegates can choose the stream most relevant to their role, with seminars and networking designed to deepen their understanding of responsible pest risk management.
WHERE: East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham
WHEN: Wednesday, 17 March 2027
TICKETS: SOFHT members receive a discounted delegate rate
Find out more and book your place at bpca.org.uk/summit.