The Union Jack Club, London, hosted the Association of Port Health Authorities AGM and Port Health Training Day on 14 November 2024.
Selvarani Elahi (pictured above) outlined the role of the Government Chemist (GC) in the UK official food and feed control system.
Using examples of rice originating from China, analysed for GMOs, and jelly mini-cup confectionary, assessed for the potential to be choking hazards, she illustrated the independence and complexity of GC referee case work.
She highlighted common reasons why cases are referred to the GC and reasons for their lack of acceptance, such as there being no evidence of a dispute, loss of chain of custody of the sample and/or incomplete paperwork.
Examples of GC advisory work were also provided, both reactive (e.g. in response to queries to the GC enquiry mailbox), and proactive (i.e. performed to address identified gaps in knowledge), for CBD and honey reference sampling protocol.
Selvarani closed by reminding the audience of all the open access information available to them with GC contact points for any questions or enquiries:
Resources:
- Government Chemist website: Government Chemist - GOV.UK
- Training Resources: Knowledge resources - GOV.UK
- Submit a referee sample to the Government Chemist - GOV.UK
- Submit a second expert opinion sample - GOV.UK
- The Food Authenticity Network: https://www.foodauthenticity.global/
Contact the GC:
- Analysis Manager: Kirstin.Gray@lgcgroup.com
- GC Enquiries: Government.Chemist@lgcgroup.com
A copy of Selvarani’s presentation is available here- .