Chinese 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...
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