Normal service is suspended
You won’t need to read this blog to know that the Prime Minister announced the general election today. During the general election campaign the Food Standards Agency websites will continue to provide...
View ArticleTrust me, I’m a scientist…
With the election period over I’m pleased to be blogging again.Although our communications have been quiet and the papers have been flooded with election news, I've noticed there’s still been a trickle...
View ArticleCampylo–what?
The media spin about food that Andrew wrote about here earlier this week is one of the things I worry about as the Food Standards Agency’s Chief Executive – which is why I’ve grabbed the blog to add my...
View ArticleNanofoods – size matters
Having taken a swipe at media spin a few days ago, it’s good to finish the week flagging up a bit of media sense – no prizes for guessing it comes from New Scientist. Its editorial joins the chorus for...
View ArticleThe data behind the review
The Agency published a scientific review of organic food last July, which found that there are no important nutrient differences or nutrition-related health benefits from eating organic food, compared...
View ArticleBabies are sweet enough
Personally I’ve always loved the flavour of honey, so I often opt for it when I fancy something sweet. But the recent case of infant botulism in a 15-week-old baby who'd been fed honey concerned me....
View ArticleIt's a man thing
I saw some sobering figures recently that show heart disease kills more than one in five men, and half of all 40-year-old men will develop heart disease sometime during the rest of their life. This is...
View ArticlePublic health: Let’s look at the bigger picture
The Daily Mail, in not one but two rather sensational articles, calls for a ban on artificial trans fats in food. But to put the dangers of trans fats into perspective, as a nation we consume less than...
View ArticleBags, bugs and basic food safety
It’s good to see a newspaper ‘debunking’ a media health scare for a change, as The Times did on Tuesday with ‘Bugs lurk in your bag for life’. Like many others, I try to do my bit for the environment...
View ArticleKicking out campylobacter
In Andrew’s absence this week, I’d like to hijack the blog and draw your attention to a new research initiative. We are commissioning a range of new research to tackle the food bug campylobacter, which...
View Article