The science of salt
The Agency's salt campaign kicks off again today with new ads and a revamped website. The number of organisations lending support to the campaign – from major manufacturers and retailers, to public...
View ArticleObesity and the FTO gene
I was interested by last week's newspaper coverage about the findings of a study into a genetic component to obesity. The team of researchers combined data from seven study cohorts totalling 19,424...
View ArticlePregnancy
I'm not surprised that our Board paper on folic acid, published last Friday in advance of this week’s meeting, got lots of weekend media coverage. Nor is it surprising that the pregnancy and baby...
View ArticleScience in practice
It's been a busy week and this is my first full day back in the office. I've spent an away day working on leadership behaviours with my heads of division and team leaders, then a day at the Federation...
View ArticleChemical risk assessment
The Committee on Toxicity (COT), one of the independent committees that advise the Agency, has just issued a statement on evolving approaches to chemical risk assessment.It's based on a workshop the...
View ArticleRed 2G
For those of you who don't know me, I'm Judith Hilton. I'm a medical doctor and currently head up the Agency's Microbiological Safety Division. Andrew asked me to keep an eye on the blog while he's...
View ArticleToo much coffee?
Tuesday's (14 August 2007) papers reported that a 17-year-old girl landed in hospital after drinking seven double espressos. Espresso is indeed strong stuff, with relatively large amounts of caffeine...
View ArticleBoard debates colours science
Anyone who had the opportunity to hear the Board's discussion on additives and childhood behaviour will appreciate the difficulty of moving from science to policy, particularly on controversial issues...
View ArticleSeafood in Dublin
I attended the World Seafood Congress in Dublin earlier this week and gave a presentation on the risks and benefits of fish consumption. I drew heavily upon the advice of our independent experts on...
View ArticleScience, spin and advice on a plate
Another week, another set of confusing messages for consumers about food. First, the Sunday Times told us that it is now official, organic food is better for you. This was followed up by warnings in...
View ArticleUnsafe food still making people sick
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is celebrating its fifth birthday and, as part of its celebration, hosted a Scientific Forum on 'From Safe Food to Healthy Diets' in Brussels earlier this...
View ArticleOmics technologies
Colleagues in the Agency recently held a workshop on the application of ‘omics technologies (examples are transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics) to food related research, bringing together...
View ArticleAnecdotal evidence and aspartame
As a scientist, I see some sources of evidence as being more powerful than others. For example, published evidence from a double blind, cross-over study, done to best practice and challenged through...
View ArticleA co-ordinated approach to sampling
Until recently, the detailed results of samples taken by local authority food sampling officers were only available locally, making it difficult for the Agency to monitor national and regional trends....
View ArticleArsenic in rice
You may have seen some alarming headlines over the past few weeks regarding arsenic in rice products so what is the science behind these claims? The headlines have stemmed from two research papers by...
View ArticleOnce more unto the breach, dear friends
How do we as scientists deal with a media that reports science in shock headlines – and do we need to police ourselves when some in our profession find it expedient to publish in the tabloids rather...
View ArticleVeterinary medicine residues
The Agency is closely involved with the work of the Veterinary Residues Committee (VRC), an independent advisory committee that oversees the UK's surveillance of residues of veterinary medicines in...
View ArticleChinese milk
The scale of the problem in China caused by adulteration of baby milk with melamine is appalling. I struggle to comprehend how people can knowingly put the lives of so many babies at risk by adding...
View ArticleLook after your leftovers
Christmas is almost upon us. Enjoying seasonal food is an essential part of Christmas for most people but at this time of year it can be easy to overlook the things we should do to ensure that our food...
View ArticleMaking sure it all adds up
I’m often on record saying that science is fundamental to the FSA’s work – it drives our investigations and understanding of the risks to consumers. Of course, the statistics and other analytical...
View ArticleThe hazards of risk
Frustratingly, hazard and risk have very different meanings for scientists, yet the media, when talking about food safety, sometimes use them interchangeably. The need to distinguish between the...
View ArticleAnecdotes, science and aspartame
What role does ‘anecdotal evidence’ play in science? Truly anecdotal evidence is not evidence in the scientific sense, it's observation, it’s often subjective, and the effects seen may be due to a...
View ArticleIn front of the silk
Last week, my colleague stood in for me at the conference on food law and drink held by the British International Institute of Comparative Law. This was an unusual audience for our messages on how...
View ArticleScience can simply be ambiguous
You may remember that at our Board meeting back in December, we decided that our advice on eating peanuts when pregnant, breast-feeding and weaning needed to change. This is because a major review by...
View ArticleNo air, no bugs… right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Even in the absence of air, some types of bacteria can grow on food –Clostridium botulinum is one of these. We know this nasty bacterium multiplies, without air,...
View ArticleChemical confusion
Almost a year ago, Neville Reed blogged on the Royal Society of Chemistry’s website about the alleged existence of ‘100% chemical free’ products. He challenged anyone to suggest a material that he...
View ArticleTighter controls needed on campylobacter
I had an early start this morning, talking about campylobacter on GMTV. Our latest survey shows that it's present on 65% of fresh chicken bought in the UK – so it was a good opportunity to remind...
View ArticleDepicting risk
I was delighted to welcome Professor David Spiegelhalter to the Agency yesterday to give the fourth in our series of Chief Scientist lectures. David is not only a distinguished statistician, but also...
View ArticlePeering at nano-foods
I welcome the report from the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee into nanotechnology, which was chaired by Lord Krebs, a former Chair of the Agency. New and emerging technologies can...
View ArticleRisky reporting
I’m sitting at a conference talking about the huge issue of campylobacter – a food bug that’s making 300,000 people seriously ill every year. There is no uncertainty about the risks to people’s health...
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