For nearly 30 years, Peter has applied his expertise in risk assessment to hazards in food, consumer products, and the environment. His work has provided the scientific evidence used by government agencies to make informed decisions that protect public health.
In food safety, he has made major contributions to assessing chemical and microbiological risks, monitoring foodborne disease, and identifying where the greatest risks to consumers lie. This work has supported New Zealand Food Safety (a business unit of the Ministry for Primary Industries) in setting priorities and responding to emerging issues.
Peter’s expertise is also recognised internationally through his membership of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, where he has contributed to exposure assessments and the development of human health limits for chemical hazards since 2014.
Since joining PHF Science’s Food and Risk Assessment Group in 1995, he has helped build the evidence base underpinning food safety policy in New Zealand. He was a key contributor to early Risk Profiles that shaped national food safety risk management during the establishment of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority in the early 2000s.
His work has increasingly spanned broader public and environmental health, including estimating population exposure to hazardous chemicals using nutrition survey data, contributing to environmental risk assessments, and translating complex science into actionable advice for decision-makers.
A lasting impact on food safety science
Drawing on his background in analytical chemistry, Peter has contributed to several Total Diet Studies estimating dietary exposure to chemical hazards. He also co-authored a reference document bringing together human exposure data across food, water, and other sources, now widely used by New Zealand scientists.
He has played a key role in developing New Zealand’s annual Foodborne disease reports for New Zealand Food Safety. Produced since 2006, these reports provide a long-term picture of foodborne illness trends and support risk monitoring and response. He has also led structured expert elicitation to address critical data gaps in attributing illness to foodborne transmission.
This work informed estimates of the human health burden and economic cost of foodborne disease in New Zealand, helping regulators prioritise hazards and target prevention efforts. Among his many contributions, he has also led work on mycotoxins in New Zealand food, producing risk profiles that guided decisions on whether intervention was needed to reduce exposure.
As PHF Science marks World Food Safety Day, Peter’s career stands out for its depth, influence, and enduring contribution to keeping food safer for everyone in New Zealand.