I’m often on record saying that science is fundamental to the FSA’s work – it drives our investigations and understanding of the risks to consumers. Of course, the statistics and other analytical processes we use in our work depend on robust and reliable evidence – so how can we be sure that we’ve got the numbers right before we start?
More than half of us at the Agency have a science degree, most with postgraduate or postdoctoral experience. In addition, we have a central team of analysts – statisticians, economists, social scientists, operational researchers and experts in methods of analysis and data quality – who make sure that the research is sufficiently robust to provide answers to the policy questions being addressed. Most importantly, our evidence is also challenged and analysed by eminent scientists who are members of the ten independent scientific advisory committees that advise the Agency.
A few months ago, I read that the journalist Simon Jenkins'considered mathematics to be a waste of time, that it was less useful than Latin and Greek and that it deserved no support from the public'. Following this I was pleased to see that Professor Marcus du Sautoy, Oxford's new Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science, publicly opposed this: 'It simply isn't true, of course. Mathematics underpins all of science and the technology that runs our lives.' For the Agency, maths is fundamental to quantifying the risks, defining the uncertainties and giving meaning to the numbers that are bandied about by the media.
But one question we should continue to ask is ‘who do you trust to get the numbers right?’ and for me the answer is – unless they are accountable and stand up to scientific challenge – no one. Fortunately, some sources of facts and figures come with a high reputation and none more so than 'National Statistics' - official statistics that comply with the National Statistics Code of Practice.
The Food Statistics Pocketbook recently published by Defra is a valuable resource for our work. If, like me, you want facts and figures you can rely on, then why not have a look yourself at the data on the food chain, consumer demand, food supply and prices, environment, health and food safety?