Previous winners of the Oxoid Awards celebrating at the Awards Dinner in 2006

Previous winners of the Oxoid Awards celebrating at the Awards Dinner in 2006

Oxoid, a world leader in microbiology and part of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, has announced that the 2006/2007 Oxoid Awards are now open for entry. Organised in conjunction with International Food Hygiene magazine and the Institute of Brewing & Distilling, the awards recognise the essential work undertaken by laboratories, microbiologists and all those involved in product safety, quality and hygiene in the food and beverage industries. Closing date for entries is June 30, 2007, and the Oxoid Awards ceremony will be held later in the year.

Prizes are to be awarded in two categories - Oxoid Young Microbiologist of the Year and Oxoid Food Safety Team of the Year - with the judges looking for submissions that demonstrate improvements, achievements and innovation in these areas.

The Oxoid Young Microbiologist of the Year will receive £1,000, a commemorative trophy and a trip to the 2008 International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) Meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Entry to this category is open to individual and nominated applicants who are no more than 30 years old at the end of June 2007. A £1,000 prize and a commemorative trophy will also be awarded to the Oxoid Food Safety Team of the Year.

“Preparing the entry makes you reflect on what you’ve achieved and what you’ve been through in the previous year”, said Nicola Wilson, general manager of UK-based Westward Laboratories, winners of the Oxoid Laboratory of the Year Award for 2004/2005. “And of course, winning an award like this provides recognition of the effort that everyone puts in to creating a highly effective organisation. It’s great to have such recognition within the food industry for those of us who work on the microbiology side. I would certainly encourage people to enter!”