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www.csl.gov.uk > About CSL > CSL Science > Food Science Group >

The Food Science Group applies the highest standards of scientific excellence to provide innovative research and analytical services in support of the aims of UK Government, the European Commission, regulatory authorities and the food industry. Our services enable these bodies to make informed policy and business decisions about the safety and quality of food, and the environment from which it is produced.

The Food Science Group is well equipped to address current and future customer needs with its extensive resources, including:

• Substantial LC-MS resource with a range of capabilities
• Substantial GC-MS resource of both high and low resolution instruments
• ICPMS, including High Resolution Axiom
• Specialised MS capability, eg. Maldi-TOF, LC-TOF-MS
• 500MHz NMR
• Substantial laboratory accommodation with specialist clean-air and toxic-chemicals handling provision

Our strategic science activities include:

• Exploiting developments in analytical chemistry to improve efficiency in the analysis of contaminants in food and environmental matrices
• Developing screening techniques and biosensors to complement instrumental analysis
• Extending rapid chemical fingerprinting using chemometric techniques
• Adding value to surveillance and monitoring work by developing exposure and risk-assessment tools and knowledge-based systems for iterative use in data evaluation
• Strengthening links with the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) to provide an EU focal point for risk assessment in food safety

Customers

The Food Science Group has two principal Defra customers: the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). Other Government customers are the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Home Office. The activities of PSD, VMD and FSA are designed to protect the food supply from potentially dangerous substances and hence protect human health and maintain public confidence.

The Group also applies its expertise in providing solutions to companies across the international food supply chain, with an emphasis on manufacturers and retailers.

Collaborations

Collaborative working is important for the group. We work closely with the Food Chain Centre for Industrial Collaboration, run through Leeds University. In addition to our strategic collaborations with Leeds and York universities, we work closely with IFA-Tulin (University of Vienna). Our relationship with European universities extends to hosting student training placements from a number of universities in France and Germany.

Quality of science

Our scientific quality is assessed through independent audit (either by UKAS or GLP) and the accuracy of our analytical work is assessed through participation in proficiency tests. CSL has more than 92 procedures accredited to the BS EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard by UKAS, giving our customers complete confidence in the results we report.

All research that is not undertaken under UKAS or GLP is carried out in compliance with the Defra/FSA Joint Code of Practice for Research (JCOP).