Exclusive: Kersia group on board as World Confectionery Conference 2025 sponsors

An industry buzz is gathering surrounding this year’s World Confectionery Conference, which returns to Brussels this Thursday, offering a major window on trends and developments across the sector, writes Neill Barston.

With keynotes including Ferrero, Caobisco European trade association, Mintel and Luker Chocolate, the 2025 event taking place at the Marriott Hotel, Grand Place, Brussels on 11 September is almost upon us.

This year’s conference includes sponsorship from Kersia, the food safety and biosecurity group that has delivered a range of solutions for our industries, vitally preventing contamination in our core supply chains.

We quiz Garry Pearson, expert lead and Stuart Taylor, global proficiency lead from the business on its debut appearance at this year’s event. There’s still time to register for our conference in Brussels through the following direct website link.

Q: This is Kersia’s debut at the World Confectionery Conference, how do you feel about being on board?
A: We are pleased to make our debut at this year’s conference and connect with fellow industry experts. Our team specialises in innovative solutions in food safety, and we look forward to discussing best practices and emerging trends. We are eager to explore how we can collaborate to advance quality and safety across the global confectionery supply chain.

Q: Can you tell us some more about how the business was formed, and how it has evolved?
A: Kersia is a rapidly growing hygiene products and services supplier with global reach. We have grown through acquisition of strong regional businesses, often with a specific market focus. This gives Kersia a wide scope of expertise and targeted product ranges, which we are continually reviewing and evolving for improved efficacy and sustainability.
Our global strategy draws together the local strengths and benefits and utilises the global network to support our international customers.

Q: How important in your eyes is it that companies maintaining clean, safe and efficient manufacturing sites, and how have you sought to innovate in this area?
A: At Kersia, we are passionate about helping to create and maintain food processing environments that prioritise cleanliness, safety, and efficiency. Our results-driven approach offers specialised products and support services tailored to mitigate the complexities and challenges of hygiene management, food safety & compliance with strict hygiene controls help reduce microbial contamination, mould growth, and allergen risks.

Q: Your specialisms in biosecurity and food safety must have kept you especially business across industry in tackling several health and safety issues – what are the biggest challenges facing our industry on that front?A: The biggest challenge facing the industry isn’t just persistent pathogens like Salmonella in dry processed foods, moulds and yeasts are a constant threat within bakeries and confectionery, however the need to evolve outdated cleaning protocols. We focus on outcome-driven hygiene solutions, specialising in effective dry-cleaning methods and targeted, controlled wet cleaning to minimise moisture in sensitive environments. This enables manufacturers to shift from reactive cleaning to a proactive strategy that control microbial and allergen removal challenges.

Q: The dairy sector plays a small but significant role in chocolate confectionery production in particular, as well as other segments. How has your advice to these markets changed over time?
A: Kersia has a very strong presence in the dairy sector globally. We have a dedicated dairy division with highly knowledgeable and experienced teams including experts in membrane cleaning. Our product range and ability to assist and make quality and efficacy savings within dairy operations has grown significantly over the years. Within confectionery, along with other sectors consumer trends moved towards reformulation of key products, this requires support from us to understand the food safety implications and hygiene requirements.
A major advance over more recent times has been the success in biofilm detection, treatment and prevention protocols which have helped to secure food safety.

Q: Kersia has also advised the sweet bakery product market, what trends are occurring in this market area that have been of note to yourselves?
A: Sweet bakery products along with confectionery are ever changing, customers looking at healthier options with low sugar and higher protein contents pose and additional challenge to cleaning regimes, constant changes of additives and flavourings pay a key part in cleaning and allergen removal, the reformulation for healthier products changes product chemistry for example lower water activity and altered shelf-life.

Q: Has Kersia engaged with advancing technologies including AI and robotics in relation to developing new solutions, and if so, where does the future of the sector lie?
A: AI is very much in our thinking and has been for several years. The increasing level of data being generated and collected from hygiene and sanitation processes is only useful if it can be processed and analysed effectively.
The ultimate goal of dynamic cleaning processes and predictive modelling to enable the most efficient hygiene process while still assuring high food safety standards is going to rely on effective utilisation of AI.