Institute for Food Laws and Regulations

Steven Wearne has worked as a regulatory professional in the area of food safety and food standards for the past 35 years.  He originally joined the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1990 to support negotiations on the harmonisation of EU law on food additives and, after working on regulations relating to food contaminants and veterinary residues, joined the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) when it was established in 2000.  Steven has held a number of positions in the FSA, including as Director of Policy and Science and, most recently, as Director of Global Affairs.

Steven was elected as vice-chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the international food standard setting body, from 2017 to 2021 and chairperson from 2021 to 2024.  Following the end of his term and retirement from the UK Civil Service at the end of 2024, Steven continues to be active in the field of food safety and regulation, and is engaged in several projects with international NGOs.

Steven’s background is in science, with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Bath in 1987, followed by a period of postgraduate research at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK.  Steven was elected to the fellowship of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST) in 2024.

Steven was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the King’s New Year’s Honours 2025 in recognition of his services to public health protection and international food safety.

Steven is a contributing subject matter expert to IFLR's course International Food Standards, Codex Alimentarius.