Kelly Shields

Following an agricultural degree at Newcastle University, Kelly began working as a Technical Manager with national and international producers just as certification standards began to emerge in the 1990s.

She has worked in a consultancy capacity for UK retailers project managing grower assessments and sustainability benchmarking, as well as lecturing in food safety and quality for the University of Lincoln. Much of her career, however, has been spent with producers supporting their understanding of compliance and customer requirements.

Her passion to build capacity at producer level and understand the barriers they face led to an MSc in Food Safety Management Systems. This explored this issue specifically at primary production level. She is driven to find solutions for lean and risk-based approaches to food safety and ethical sourcing as well as environmental and economic sustainability.

Coming from a farming background keeps her feet firmly rooted in the soil, and she has a healthy and lived respect for the day-to-day challenges facing agriculture and horticulture. She now works as Technical Director for the Fresh Produce Consortium, working with industry and government to co-design policy and ensure the fresh produce industry has a clear and fairly represented voice. She also sits on the Red Tractor Produce Sector Board and IFPS Sustainability Committee.