Heather Landex

Heather Landex

Chief Compliance Officer – Restaurant & Hospitality Sector (CCO)

Heather Landex brings global awareness of inclusivity and commercial viability of clean vegan options to restaurant menus, hotels, and businesses wishing to make valid vegan claims.

By background, Heather is a seasoned auditor, trainer and consultant for food service businesses. She is a Food Safety Expert and allergen auditor who began her career in the food service industry more than 20 years ago. Since the year 2000, Heather has worked in eight countries, and in more than 1000 food service businesses.

“I would like to see a legitimate reduction in the use of ‘may contain’ disclaimers, and an improvement in hygiene standards. I wish to motivate the food service industry to produce cleaner, healthier options, and train them on vegan claim integrity.”

Since training as an Environmental Health Practitioner she’s specialized in food safety, working with large food safety and safety compliance companies, The Olympic Games, and some of the largest chain restaurant brands and Michelin star restaurants in the world.

Heather developed and further specialized into allergy and dietary preferences beyond compliance and into customer service and consulting for the food service businesses and hospitality sector. Heather travels extensively for work across countries in her efforts to help restaurants and hotels keep food safety claims and vegan claims legal and up to code.

Heather was involved in the BeVeg vegan standard development for restaurants and services. She was the expert advisor consulted in the development of the restaurant/services portion of the BeVeg standard, which is the first and only ISO accredited vegan certification standard in the world. Heather is proud to serve on the BeVeg executive team as Chief Compliance Officer for the restaurant/hospitality sector and head up the related BeVeg vegan training program.

“Every individual matters and deserves to be served food which is safe for them to eat and be treated with respect for their beliefs, needs and choices. I believe there is an overwhelming ignorance to how big and fast growing these market segments are, in a changing World, where diversity should be embraced and not feared.”

Her book ‘Inclusive: The New Exclusive: How the Food Service Industry Can Stop Leaving Money on the Table’ explains why food safety is important for a vegan food service business, what a vegan food service provider needs to take into account in regards to safety, and at what stages of the business, why vegan and plant-based food businesses are leaving money on the table by excluding customers with certain dietary requirements, what’s involved in ensuring your vegan café, restaurant or catering business can cater for other minority groups such as gluten-free, celiac or those with other allergies, the costs involved in both food safety and making your business more inclusive, what street food vendors need to be aware of when it comes to food safety, and how to keep the business and hospitality sector successful and protected from litigation. Her purpose and first-of-its-kind approach align succinctly with BeVeg.

Heather is a passionate vegan that brings great purpose to her profession. She is perhaps the only vegan food safety restaurant auditor and consultant in the world.