ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre>About Us>Dr. Ellen Evans​

Dr. Ellen Evans​

Arthur Tatham

Dr Ellen W Evans
Junior Research Fellow
Email: elevans@cardiffmet.ac.uk
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My role at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre

I have been a member of the team since 2013. As a researcher at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre (FIC), I am involved with all stages of research; from proposal application, the collation, entry and analysis of data, the preparing of final reports for funders; the dissemination of findings at conferences through oral and poster presentations, and at community education outreach activities, through to the preparation of research publications for international journals. I supervise BSc, MRes and PhD student projects relating to food safety; current student projects include the use of food-media to deliver food safety messages and the role of dieticians in the delivery of food safety information to vulnerable patients.

My personal research interests include cognitive and behavioural food safety risks associated with ‘at risk’ consumer groups. As part of the ‘Food Safety Research Group’, I am involved with various aspects of food safety research from microbiological analysis, the design of intervention strategies such as food safety education initiatives for consumers and food safety training for healthcare professionals, to assessing food safety compliance in the food industry and observation of food safety practices in the innovative model domestic kitchen at the FIC.

In addition to my research activity at the FIC, I regularly contribute to the organisation of research events, am invited to give lectures on food safety research and education at community events and conferences, I contribute to Welsh television and radio, and peer-review research articles for international food safety journals.

Previous Experience

Prior to commencing my academic career, I trained as a professional chef and worked at one of the best restaurants in Wales. My skills were recognised and awarded by the Culinary Association of Wales. I hold a first class honours degree in Food and Consumer Science from the University of Wales. I was the 2009 recipient of the Vice Chancellor's Doctoral Award to conduct my PhD research, which investigated older adults' domestic food handling and storage practices associated with the risk of listeriosis. Subsequent post-doctoral research expanded into other 'at-risk' and vulnerable consumer groups including pregnant women and people receiving chemotherapy treatment.

My recently completed and ongoing research projects include:

  • Tenovus Cancer Care Innovation Grant: Food safety strategies for cancer patients
  • Welsh Government Food Sector Development Framework: "Food for the Future". A Food, Health and Nutrition Project.
  • Research and Enterprise "Accelerator" fund: Feasibility study to assess hand hygiene practices of food handlers in Welsh SMEs through the use of video observation.
  • Welsh Government Food Division project to Support the Food & Drink Sector: Understanding the Barriers to Accreditation in the Food & Drink Sector in Wales.
  • Research and Enterprise "Get started" fund: Food safety awareness of nutrition and dietetic students.
  • Health Technology Challenge: Evaluation of the acceptability of tablet-based and paper-based food-safety and nutrition interventions for carers of chemotherapy patients. (Led by E.W. Evans with collaborators at Cardiff University and Velindre Cancer Centre).

Qualifications and Professional Memberships

PhD "Older adults' domestic food handling and storage practices associated with the risk of listeriosis" Cardiff School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University.

BSc (Hons) Food and Consumer Science, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC).

NVQ Level 3 Professional Cookery, Coleg Menai, Further Education College, Bangor.

Professional Memberships:

Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM) (Member from 2010 to present)

International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) (Member from 2012 to present)

Food Safety Education Professional Development Group (PDG Committee member from 2012 to present)

Early Career Scientist (ECS) Committee (Events Committee Manager from 2013 to present)

Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol (Member of the Welsh National College community of scholars from 2014 to present) 

I am particularly active in my roles with learned societies. Annually, I organise the SfAM ECS research conference and coordinate ECS workshops and events held during the SfAM Summer conference for students and graduates. As a committee member of the Food Safety Education PDG, I regularly plan and organise research symposia and roundtable sessions with food safety colleagues internationally for the IAFP annual meeting. I assist the chair of the PDG at the annual meeting by taking the PDG meeting minutes. 

Journals and Publications

Journal publications:

For more recent research publications, please see here

Evans, E. W. & Redmond, E. C. (2014) Behavioural Risk Factors Associated With Listeriosis in the Home: A Review of Consumer Food Safety Studies.  Journal of Food Protection. 77(3) pp 510 – 521. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-13-238  

Evans, E. W. & Redmond, E. C. (2015). Analysis of Older Adults' Domestic Kitchen Storage Practices in the United Kingdom: Identification of Risk Factors Associated with Listeriosis. Journal of Food Protection, 78(4), 738-745. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-14-527

Evans, E. W. & Redmond, E. C. (2016) Older adult consumers' knowledge, attitudes and self-reported storage practices of ready-to-eat food products and the risks associated with listeriosis. Journal of Food Protection, 79(2), 263-272 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-15-312

Evans, E. (2016). Older adults' domestic kitchen practices associated with an increased risk of listeriosis. Perspectives in Public Health 136(4): 199-201. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/1757913916649818

Evans, E. (2016). Domestic kitchen risk factors of listeriosis among older-adult consumers. Microbiologist 17(1): 14 - 17.

Evans, E. W. & Redmond, E. C. (in press) Time-temperature profile of UK consumers' domestic refrigerators. Accepted for publication in the Journal of Food Protection.

Conference contributions:

For conference contributions, please see here