11
September 2018

Government Chemist Annual Review 2017 available to download

The Government Chemist Annual Review provides highlights from the referee cases, advisory work and research carried out during the year.

The Government Chemist team provided input, advice and opinions on ongoing areas of concern, such as honey authenticity, food supplement claims and analytical tolerances in alcohol declarations.

For the first time, the Government Chemist helped resolve a case on a novel psychoactive substance, when we investigated whether kratom should be classified as a food.

There were also more complex challenges like:

  • mycotoxins - evaluating the levels of these mould-produced toxins in peanuts
  • allergens - analysing apricots for presence of sulphites above the maximum permitted limit
  • nitrofurans - detecting these veterinary antibiotics in shellfish
  • jelly cups - helping port authorities to interpret legislation seeking to control choking risks of ingesting jelly confectionery
  • genetically modified organisms - measuring presence of GMOs over permitted threshold in rice

To read the entire review, visit the Government Chemist website.