Chief scientist’s annual report launched

Wednesday 23 September 2009

The Food Standards Agency today published the third Annual Report of the Chief Scientist. The report sets out progress in the Agency’s scientific activity over the past year and is being launched tonight at the Royal Society of Chemistry in London.

The Agency's Chief Scientist Andrew Wadge said: 'The Food Standards Agency prides itself on having robust science at the heart of the work it does, whether that is protecting consumer health or promoting healthy eating. This report sets out in more detail the work we do in these areas and how we use science to inform our decisions.

'As the Chief Scientist it’s part of my job to champion the Agency’s science and help communicate it as widely as possible. This report is an important part of that communication work and I hope it’s a useful resource for everyone who has an interest in food and food science.'

The report highlights progress in all aspects of food safety, but this year there is a particular focus on the food poisoning bug listeria.

The report highlights work done by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) looking at the possible causes of the increase in cases of listeriosis. The number of cases has doubled since 2000, with the over-65s affected the most. In response, the Agency launched a new campaign this year aimed at reversing the increase in cases of listeriosis in older people.

Also covered in this year's report are:

• headlines from the independent review of the Agency’s science carried out by the Government Office for Science, and published in April 2009, and the Agency's response to the review
• the Agency's work to reduce intakes of saturated fat, including the evidence behind our advice and the results of research on consumer understanding of saturated fat
• the main scientific activities behind Agency advice, such as caffeine consumption and peanut consumption during pregnancy

The report covers the period from April 2008 to March 2009 and can be found at the link below.