Events

The Government Chemist conference, ‘Safe food for tomorrow’s world’ will take place online on 23 and 24 June 2021. Full details here.

This conference was originally scheduled to take place in June 2020 and was postponed to June 2021 as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. In view of the ongoing restrictions for public events, we have decided to proceed with this conference as an online event.

The conference will be opened by Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser, Defra after a brief introduction by Dr Julian Braybrook, Government Chemist.

Scientists, regulators, enforcement agencies, industry and policy makers are invited to join the Government Chemist on a virtual platform to discuss future challenges in the manufacturing, packaging, retailing and testing of food that is safe and consumers can trust.

The conference programme will include national and international perspectives on assuring food safety and integrity, advances and challenges in allergen testing, the use of science for improved consumer protection and much more.

Conference programme

23 June, Session 1: Perspectives from the UK’s Official Control System

• Welcome address by the Government Chemist, Julian Braybrook

• Keynote lecture - Gideon Henderson, CSA, Defra

• Overview of recent referee cases- Paul Hancock, LGC

• Opportunities and challenges facing the Public Analyst Service - Jane White, Association of Public Analysts

• Actions and impact of the Food Crime Unit - Hayley Ward-Ivan, Food Crime Unit

23 June, Session 2: Regulation for a global market

• The role of data science in achieving the objectives of the FSA - Julie Pierce, FSA

• Food Standards Scotland – Strategy and approach to science - Geoff Ogle, FSS

• The NIST Food Quality Program: Measurements and standards to support the global food industry - Katrice Lippa, NIST

• Authentication analysis of tonic food products in Hong Kong - Foo-wing Lee, Hong Kong Government Chemist

• The importance of company culture in assuring food safety and integrity- Fiona Humphries, BRCGS

• Achieving business compliance in an international market - Ingrid Fiordaliso, McCormick

24 June, Session 3: Science for improved health outcomes

• TBC - Ian Young, Queen’s University Belfast

• Current perspectives on food toxicology- Stella Cochrane, Unilever

• Challenges in measuring clinical proteins and allergens - Milena Quaglia, LGC

• CBD and controlled cannabinoids in consumer products - Selvarani Elahi and Christopher Hopley, LGC

• Microbiome for protected status - Mark Kennedy , Fera

24 June, Session 4: Novel solutions for food authenticity and sustainability

• Nuclear and complementary field-deployable technologies to build food authenticity capability - Simon Kelly, International Atomic Energy Agency

• Effective solutions for GMO analysis - Malcolm Burns, LGC

• Desirability and plausibility of meat alternatives - Barbara van Mierlo, Wageningen UR

• Science assurance in a sustainable food system - Professor Robin May, FSA Chief Scientific Adviser

The conference will also include opportunities for discussion and networking.