Public Analysts are highly trained scientists who protect the public particularly in relation to food. They are qualified to MChemA (Mastership in Chemical Analysis) and oversee analysis to support, interpret and enforce the Food Safety Act 1990. The Public Analyst will decide if food sent for analysis (by Trading Standards Officers) is safe and legal.

Public Analysts may also oversee testing for health and safety reasons in the consumer goods, water, environmental and agricultural sectors. This testing may originate from businesses themselves, keen to protect their people and products, or be the result of a query from a regulatory official such as an Environmental Health Officer.

The fight against food adulteration originated in around the 1820’s. The professional association for Public Analysts was one of the key foundation blocks of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Fascinating early copies of the Society of Public Analysts journal (from 1876) can be found on the Royal Society of Chemistry’s website.