Government Chemist
Background information
The Government Chemist Conference will take place on 20-21 June 2023 at the Royal Society of Chemistry, London as an in-person event. Remote attendance will be possible for those that cannot attend in person.
The backdrop for the conference is how current geo-political, environmental and economic conditions are creating escalating challenges for global food security. During the event, speakers will provide industrial, regulatory and academic perspectives on the current position and discuss how scientific and technological approaches can underpin effective solutions to these challenges.
Julian Braybrook, Government Chemist will host the conference. The conference keynote lecture for Day 1 (20 June) will be given by Henry Dimbleby, Lead non-executive board member, Defra, and Lead author of the National Food Strategy.
Guy Poppy, Deputy Executive Chair of BBSRC, will open Day 2 (21 June) of the conference with a keynote lecture.
The event includes a deep-dive session on food crime jointly organised by the National Food Crime Unit and the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit.
There will be opportunities to network over lunch as well as at the conference dinner on 20 June.
The Government Chemist conference has been a regular event for the last twenty years. It provides an opportunity for communities in the fields of food safety, authenticity, security and sustainability to come together to discuss global threats and challenges, and to explore opportunities to ensure food security for tomorrows world.
In person attendance at the event is encouraged. However, the event will also be available online for those that cannot physically attend; remote participants will be able to attend the lectures and panel sessions and forward questions to the speakers but will not be able to participate in the deep-dive session on food crime.
Event details
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Date: 20-21 June 2023
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Venue: Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, Picadilly, London W1J 0BA
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Cost (Prices exclude VAT):
- In person event: 150/day
- Conference dinner: 70
- Online event 100/day
Programme
Please note that the programme and information about the speakers will be updated regularly. Follow links for further information about the speakers and talk abstracts.
20 June, Session 1: Drivers for a resilient official food control system
- 09:45: Registration and coffee
- 10:30: Chairs introduction: Dr Lucy Foster, Defra
- 10:35: Welcome address by the Government Chemist, Julian Braybrook, LGC
- 10:50: Keynote lecture: Can we have it all? Henry Dimbleby MBE
- 11:20: Overview of recent referee cases- Paul Hancock, LGC
- 11.50: Implications/opportunities what next for food regulation in the UK - Jessica Burt, Food Law Group
20 June, Session 2: Authentic and safe food
- 13:30: Interactive session jointly organised by NFCU and SFCIU: Information Sharing - Food Crime
- 14:30: Chairs introduction - Helen Pain, RSC
- 14:35: Alternative proteins: emerging food authenticity implications - Rosario Romero, Fera
- 15:00: Safe and authentic food: What it means today for consumers and regulators - Geoff Ogle, Food Standards Scotland
- 15:25: Break
- 15:45: Ready to regulate - a strategy to regulate the future food system - Kate Hargreaves, FSA
- 16:10: Positive outcomes from government funding in OCL infrastructure support - Joint talk by Jane White and Jon Griffin, APA
- 16: 35: Panel session: What does green mean? How do laboratories, industry and academia comply with requirements for sustainability Anne Horan (RSC). David Humber (ASA), John Lee (Agilent) and Louise Manning (University of Lincoln)
- 17:15: Day one close
- 17:25: Event drinks
- 19:15: Event dinner
21 June, Session 3: New and emerging technologies
- 09:15: Registration and coffee
- 09:45: Chairs introduction: Sterling Crew, Food Authenticity Network
- 09:50: Keynote lecture Transforming the UK food system through the appliance of science Guy Poppy CB, UKRI
- 10:20: Food safety foresight: FAOs perspective on emerging issues Vittorio Fattori, FAO
- 10:45: The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act - Chris Stockdale (FSA) and Michael Ellis (Defra)
- 11:10: Break
- 11:30: Cultivated meat: an emerging novel food and industry - Petra Hanga, Quest Meat
- 11.55: Mapping the worlds soya production to protect our rainforests Brian Quinn, Queens University Belfast
- 12:20: Lunch
21 June, Session 4: Solutions to challenges in food production
- 13:30: Chairs introduction: Simon Branch, Herbalife
- 13:35: The challenge of food production today - Andrew Clark, National Farmers Union
- 14:00: Traceability of genome edited products in the food supply chain Malcolm Burns, LGC
- 14:25: Macro and Microalgae as alternative food sources - Michele Stanley, SAMS
- 14:50: Break
- 15: 10: What is vertical farming and what are the considerations when applying it in a real world scenario Romy Wilkin, Jones Food Company
- 15:35: Emerging climate-related food safety risks and how to evaluate them Louise Manning, University of Lincoln
- 16:00: Closing remarks
- 16:10: Conference close