Food Safety Officer in London

We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Food Safety and Compliance Officer to join our team and ensure our operations meet all regulatory and food safety standards. The Food Safety Officer will be responsible for leading, implementing, and maintaining effective food safety systems across all Ades Ltd operations. The role provides strategic oversight and operational assurance to ensure full compliance with UK food safety legislation and best practice.

The Food Safety & Compliance Officer will act as the organisations competent person for food safety, providing expert advice, leadership, and regulatory liaison while supporting operational teams to maintain consistently high standards.

• Food Safety Governance & Leadership
  • Act as the organisations lead and competent person for food safety.
  • Provide professional advice and assurance to the CEO and senior management.
  • Lead the development, review, and implementation of the Food Safety Management System.
  • Ensure food safety governance arrangements meet legal and regulatory expectations.
• Compliance & Legal Requirements
  • Ensure compliance with all relevant UK food safety legislation, including food hygiene, labelling, allergens, and traceability.
  • Monitor compliance across retail, warehouse, production, packing, chilled, and frozen operations.
  • Review and approve food safety policies, procedures, and SOPs.
  • Ensure corrective actions are implemented and monitored to completion.
• HACCP & Risk Management
  • Develop, maintain, and review HACCP plans and risk assessments.
  • Identify food safety hazards and implement effective control measures.
  • Ensure critical control points (CCPs) are monitored, recorded, and verified.
  • Lead investigations into food safety incidents, complaints, or non-conformances.
• Audits, Inspections & Regulatory Liaison
  • Act as the primary point of contact with Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and other regulators.
  • Prepare for and lead responses to inspections, audits, and enforcement visits.
  • Coordinate internal audits and follow-up actions.
  • Ensure inspection outcomes and improvement plans are reported to the CEO.
• Training & Competence
  • Develop and oversee food safety training programmes for managers and staff.
  • Ensure staff are trained, competent, and supervised in food safety practices.
  • Maintain training records and competency documentation.
  • Support induction and refresher training programmes.
• Operational Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
  • Carry out regular food safety inspections and compliance checks.
  • Monitor trends, incidents, and audit findings to identify improvement opportunities.
  • Support operational teams to embed food safety culture and accountability.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the business.
• Authority & Accountability
  • Authority to stop unsafe food operations where there is a risk to consumer safety.
  • Authority to require corrective actions and compliance improvements.
  • Accountable to the CEO for food safety performance and assurance.

• Recognised Health & food safety qualification/ degree.
• Proven experience in a food safety or compliance role within food retail, production, manufacturing, or distribution.
• Strong working knowledge of UK food safety legislation and EHO expectations.
• Experience developing and managing HACCP-based food safety systems.
• Confident communicator able to influence at all levels.
• Strong documentation, audit, and reporting skills.
• Aware of health and safety compliance.
• Experience in dealing directly with EHOs and enforcement bodies.
• Audit qualification or experience (internal or external).
• Experience in allergen management and food labelling compliance.
• Professional judgement.
• Independence and integrity.
• Calm decision-making under pressure.
• Strong organisational and analytical skills.

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Excellent wellbeing support