GovWire

Michael Walker, of the Government Chemist programme, spoke at The Institute of Food Safety, Integrity & Protection (TiFSiP) Food Law in Practice Conference in London on 16 March 2016. Michael joined a distinguished panel of speakers including a High Court judge and two senior barristers to discuss recent food law developments that have significant implications for food businesses and enforcement officers.

The conference was designed to provide guidance and explain the implications of recent changes in food law to ensure compliance insight.

In his talk Michael covered the statutory role of the Government Chemist and routes of technical appeal in the UK food and feed control system illustrated by examples of casework. Michael was also interviewed by TiFSiP on the role of a referee analyst in food fraud and authenticity testing and the need for collaboration to fulfil this role.

Under UK law, local authorities and food business operators can call upon the Government Chemist to arbitrate technical disputes on analytical or interpretational issues in food analysis. Incorrect sampling, analysis or interpretation can lead to disputes, and it is therefore important that the Government Chemist contributes to and keeps abreast of a wide range of policy and practice developments including in food law, research and international Codex developments.

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