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I’m blogging from Belfast, where I attended yesterday’s open Board meeting and presented my first annual report as Chief Scientist, and the Research and Survey Programmes Annual Report.

The Chief Scientist’s report outlines how we use science in the Agency and includes some interesting historical data in the Changing Times, Changing Risks section, including developments in food technology since 1800.

But the report’s main focus is about governance. It tells how science leads to policy, highlights the strength of the Agency’s science, and describes my role as head of profession for Agency scientists.

I want the report to communicate the excellent scientific work that the Agency does. So it was good to see the report’s assessment of foodborne illness get covered in The Daily Mail earlier this week, including a reference to our consumer advice on food bugs and the priority the Agency is giving to tackling the increase in listeria cases.

The second report I presented to the Board provides an overall picture of the research and surveys work done in the last financial year – including risk assessments and methodology for testing food fraud

Each year we spend £20 million on research and surveys. This is a lot of money, but our policymaking decisions would not have been possible without the hard evidence we get from the research.

Both reports are testimony to the depth of scientific expertise among Agency staff (almost 50% of us are scientists) and the eminent independent experts who advise us.

Next year both reports will be merged into a more sustainable single report, providing a complete overview of the Agency’s science, and the Board provided further feedback yesterday to help shape next year’s report. 

We’re launching both reports at the Royal Society of Chemistry on 7 November. Take a look before then, and have your say on the blog.