Throughout this year the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has had a series of events showcasing the vital role of chemistry in food. It’s therefore not surprising that they chose food as the theme of Chemistry Week. Chemistry Week aims to increase public understanding of the importance of chemistry in our everyday lives and this year runs from 7 to 15 November. Chemistry plays a vital role in putting healthy food on our plate from farm to fork, including helping find solutions to global food shortages, testing the safety and capability of new technologies, developing intelligent sensors to detect when food has passed its ‘use by’ date, and discovering new environmentally friendly packaging materials. You can find out more about how chemistry impacts the Agency’s work – whether it’s as a result of chemicals that make up our food or those that accumulate in food as a result of human activities or natural processes – in my third Annual Report. The report was launched at the RSC in London in September and sets out progress in the Agency’s science over the past year, highlighting how it drives and underpins our advice and policy. With RSC events taking place throughout the UK, from functional foods to the chemistry of curry, you won’t need a lab coat to see how much chemistry affects our everyday lives.
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