1990 was a significant year for the food industry. The Food Safety Act 1990 came into force, and it became an offence for anyone to sell or process food for sale which is harmful to health. It was also the year Verner Wheelock Associates was founded by Dr Verner Wheelock, a former Head of the Food Policy Research Unit at the University of Bradford.
The company started life with just a couple of staff and trainers providing food safety and nutrition courses, but it soon became a company synonymous with training and consultancy provided to a range of caterers and food manufacturers.
Now celebrating its 35th anniversary, Verner Wheelock delivers a total of 28 different courses as well as the option to write and deliver bespoke in-house courses tailored to specific requirements. Household names McVitie’s, Müller, Warburtons, Princes, Heinz and McCain’s and Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons are among its many longstanding clients.
“Back in the early days we delivered fewer courses and focused much more on consultancy and conferences, with more emphasis on nutrition. However, as the legal requirement for food safety training grew in importance, this side of the business also grew,” says Alison Wheelock, Verner’s daughter and Managing Director of VWA since 2012.
Nowadays the calendar is full to bursting with open and in-house training. Courses are regularly doubled-up due to demand and there have even been instances where the same course has been delivered simultaneously by three different trainers.
Since Alison became MD, the company has expanded its offering considerably, introducing several new courses and achieving IS0 9001 Quality Management accreditation. Several courses including one-day specialist courses and the suite of auditing courses are endorsed by FDQ – Food and Drink Qualifications, whilst the HACCP and food safety courses are accredited by the RSPH (Royal Society for Public Health).
The company is always innovating, developing and delivering new courses in response to the food industry’s needs. In fact, four new courses are on the curriculum this year: Sustainability in the Food industry, Crisis Management, Foreign Body Prevention and Investigation, and a workshop for Quality Assurance Technicians and Auditors. As a result, the business has continued to go from strength to strength.
The way in which courses are delivered has also become more flexible. Alison says: “Prior to Covid 19 lockdown in 2020 we had delivered one or two in-house training courses for overseas delegates using the Zoom platform, so it was a natural progression to roll this out once face-to-face interaction had to stop. This meant that we could keep training food companies throughout the pandemic, and our customers were mainly key workers, so their production was able to continue.”
VWA found that even after lockdown, businesses still wanted remote courses as an option. In 2022 they moved to their current premises in the heart of Skipton, North Yorkshire. The new training room was kitted out with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, allowing hybrid courses to run where delegates can attend either face-to-face or remotely.
“The remote option has opened up access to delegates who might not have travelled from, say, Aberdeen or Cornwall, for a one-day course,” adds Alison. “We’ve even had delegates from overseas attending without having to travel; and of course, for in-house training, staff from different sites around the UK or abroad can join the same course.”
What does Alison attribute to VWA’s success? “Well firstly, we aim to provide the type of training that our customers want. We do this by listening to them and by keeping ourselves appraised of what’s happening in the food industry. We are also aware of the industry standards such as the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety.
“Our trainers are all highly experienced in their fields, having worked within the food industry themselves for several years. This is really important because it means that they understand the day-to-day challenges our delegates face and can make key learning points relatable via real-life examples. They are also able to answer any questions delegates might have… and of course, great training delivers excellent examination results.
“People always receive a warm welcome on our courses and enjoy coming back. We’re flexible, offering remote or face-to-face training and our trainers travel all around the UK (and even abroad) delivering courses to trainees at their own premises. We issue feedback forms following each course to gauge customer satisfaction to find out where we can improve. We strive to be the best we can be.”