Selvarani Elahi, Deputy Government Chemist and Professor Chris Elliott, founder of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University, Belfast were invited by Dr Ernest Teye of the University of Cape Coast to attend the Ghana Science Association conference and a workshop on rice integrity and managing food fraud during 30 July – 2 August 2019.

Selvarani Elahi gave a presentation on the Food Authenticity Network, highlighting the benefits of Ghana joining this one-stop-shop for food authenticity testing and food fraud mitigation in the global fight against food fraud. Professor Elliott delivered the keynote speech at the Ghana Science Association conference informing the audience of the concept of food fraud, giving local examples and demonstrating the negative impact of fraud.

ATL FM 100.5 MHz Radio interviewed Selvarani and Chris on ‘food fraud and authenticity’, which can be viewed on ATL’s Facebook page.

During the course of the week, meetings were also held with the Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority.

Given the recent report of the meeting by the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on the negative impact of illicit trade on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both Professor Alex Dodoo and Mimi Darko were keen to implement projects aimed at improving the integrity of Ghanaian food.

They stated their commitment for Ghana, as the ‘gateway to Africa’, to be the first African nation to join the Food Authenticity Network.

For more information about the Government Chemist role, or advice related to food testing, contact

The countries that are part of EU trade, the export health certificates you need, and how to get consignments checked.

A new trade facilitation programme will support Brazilian businesses to export, which will help boost trade with countries including the UK.

The £20 million programme will work with existing export promotion and trade facilitation programmes across Brazil to help bring businesses of all sizes to international markets.

By working with a wide range of Brazilian businesses the programme will showcase exporting as another source of income, increasing access to capital, generating jobs in the country and ultimately reducing poverty.

Brazil is the largest economy in South America, accounting for almost 50% of the continents GDP and is home to over 200 million people. As the UK prepares to leave the EU on 31 October, fast-growing markets like Brazil will provide significant opportunities for both UK businesses and households.

Total trade between UK-Brazil was worth £6 billion last year, an increase of over 7% on the previous year.

The programme was launched by Trade Policy Minister Conor Burns and Brazilian Special Secretary for International Trade and International Economic Affairs Marcos Troyjo in Brasilia today (Tuesday 20 August).

Mr Burns is visiting Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia before travelling onto Santiago in Chile on Wednesday.

Trade Policy Minister, Conor Burns said:

I’m delighted to be in South America this week in my first overseas visit as Minister of State for Trade Policy. Our aim is simply to promote British business overseas and strengthen our trading ties in the region. With our existing trading and economic relationship Brazil was the obvious place to start the visit.

The launch of the Trade Facilitation programme will help support Brazil and create opportunities for Brazilian business – including in markets such as the UK.

The trade facilitation programme launched today is part of the UK government’s Prosperity Fund which will see up to £80 million invested in Brazil over the next 4 years. The fund aims to support the inclusive economic growth needed to reduce poverty in partner countries.

The trade facilitation programme will help ensure Brazilian businesses are ready to trade and will address key issues such as non-tariff barriers. It will also help reduce the cost of trade by encouraging more efficient processes in ports, creating a safe environment for companies to innovate while reducing the time it takes for patents and trademarks to be analysed in Brazil.

During his visit Mr Burns will meet with Brazil’s Special Secretary for International Trade and International Economic Affairs Marcos Troyjo and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.

He will also meet businesses in the region including Weir Minerals, Diageo and BUPA to help increase trade and encourage investment.

Officers from the Environment Agency and Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) have been working hard to remove invasive Himalayan Balsam along the Roman River near Colchester.

Himalayan Balsam is an invasive non-native species, which mainly grows along river banks and in damp woodland. The plant poses a big risk to the environment as it outcompetes native plant species for nutrients, light and space, often becoming dominant. It can also enter the river channel and block flow and in-river structures, which increases the risk of flooding.

A team of staff volunteered to give up their time to do the work and made a significant difference.

A spokesperson from the Environment Agency said:

It was a very successful 2 days. We removed the Balsam that had re-grown at a site which was cleared 2 years ago. We also cleared patches in or directly adjacent to the river, limiting the chance of seeds entering the watercourse and spreading the plant.

It became apparent that Himalayan Balsam is more prevalent in the area than first thought, however by targeting specific sites posing most risk, we can help limit its spread.

As we hand-pulled the plant, taking the roots with it, and left it in piles, it shouldn’t re-grow; however we will be making checks in the next few months.

If members of the public come across the plant they should only attempt to remove it if it hasn’t set seed – touching it once it has set seed will cause the seeds to disperse up to 7 metres away.

The best method of removal is to pull it up and place it in a pile away from any watercourse, preferably with a plastic sheet underneath to ensure the roots are not able to re-grow.

Members of the public can report sightings of the plant on i-Record.

Seeds can be spread on clothing, equipment and animals. By following the Check, Clean, Dry procedure the spreading of invasive species can be prevented.

Further information on Himalayan Balsam and other invasive non-native species can be found on the Non-native Species Secretariat website.