News
24-June 2010 –
Prawns,
peanuts, pigments - the Government Chemist deploys sound
measurement science for a safer and more prosperous
UK
Government Chemist Review 2009 published
The Government Chemist has a
duty under UK law to referee scientific disputes, mainly in the
food and agriculture sectors, so the parties can avoid legal costs
or a court can resolve the case soundly and efficiently. The latest
Government Chemist Review shows how research and dedicated
casework came together in 2009 to protect the public, while
maintaining a cost-effective technical appeal option for businesses
and SMEs.
Seven formal cases were referred by UK local enforcement
authorities and business owners for Government Chemist referee
analysis under the Food Safety Act and the Agriculture Act. A range
of chemical and bioanalytical measurements helped resolve concerns
over the safety of imported foodstuffs, the control of animal feed
to help prevent transmissible brain diseases (spongiform
encephalopathies), and the risk of serious allergic reactions, on
the basis of sound scientific evidence. For example, nitrofurans
are known to cause cancer, and are prohibited in the food chain;
our work provided reassurance that a consignment of imported
prawns, which we were asked to investigate after initial testing by
a Port Health Authority, did not contain detectable residues of
these hazardous substances. In many other cases, our results
confirmed those of the front-line authorities, thus supporting
decisive action to protect public safety and the rights of
consumers.
We believe that the increasing prevalence of food allergy could
give rise to complex measurement problems, leading to requests for
referee analysis. R&D on this topic was boosted by our
contribution to a serious criminal investigation. An employee was
alleged to have contaminated a nut-free food factory with peanuts,
resulting in shutdown, clean-up and product recall costs reportedly
totalling £1.2m. We used our dedicated nut-free laboratory suite to
provide evidence on whether clothing had been in contact with
peanut protein, and (for the defence counsel) about the ways in
which accidental contamination could have come about.
The newly published Review also shows how:
• The Government Chemist continued to benefit from innovative
research through LGC’s designation as the national measurement
institute for chemical and bioanalysis. For example, advances in
the absolute measurement of complex biological substances spun off
a novel approach for determining egg protein (an allergen) added to
preserve or clarify wine.
• Further case studies on the measurement implications of the
REACH chemicals legislation - covering dyes and pigments, reactive
organometallic products, surface-active agents and silicon
compounds - informed Government Chemist advice and an increasingly
popular collaborative event on the topic, this year held in the
Humberside region.
Electronic copies of the Government Chemist Review 2009 are
available at
www.governmentchemist.org.uk
and can also be requested by email to: government.chemist@lgc.co.uk
-Ends-
Notes
to editors
About the Government Chemist
role
LGC and the Government Chemist role date
back to the establishment of the Laboratory of the Board of Excise
in 1842. The UK National Measurement Office now underpins the role
by funding a programme of work at LGC, and, with the help of an
external working group, ensures that the Government Chemist
continues to provide an independent voice for sound analytical
measurement science. In recent years, laboratory casework has
focused on samples of food and animal feed. The Government Chemist
also develops advice on the wide range of science-based policy,
standards and regulations affecting the UK. For example, an event
on science for REACH and CLP compliance is to be held at LGC
Teddington on 4 November 2010 in partnership with the Chemical
Hazards Communication Society (CHCS).
Under terms agreed when LGC was privatised, the Government Chemist is appointed in open
competition by BIS and is required to be a director of LGC, which
is contracted to carry out the necessary scientific work in support
of the Government Chemist function.