Food Standards Agency Chief Scientist's Blog

During Phase 2 of Digital Dialogues, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) set up a blog, with support from the Hansard Society. The blog had no policy remit; its goal was to increase public awareness of the Chief Scientist’s work and to provide an opportunity for individuals to comment on particular issues raised on the blog. In its first year of existence, it was runner up for the ‘best newcomer’ prize at the New Statesman New Media Awards.

No changes were made to the format of the blog during Phase 3; the aim was to explore how the Chief Scientist’s blog developed over time. A no-frills site, the blog has nonetheless attracted a sustainably high level of interest and participation because of its ability to raise issues about which the public is concerned (food safety) in a relaxed and informative way, unconstrained by Ministerial brief.

One of the issues facing the blog is the fact that it attracts a diverse audience. On the one hand, those more interested in the science behind the blog want to have more high-level discussions of the issues being tackled. But the public facing nature of the blog means that there is a requirement on the FSA to produce entries that have a broader appeal, given the FSA’s remit (to engage and undertake outreach). It is currently investigating the possibility of running a suite of blogs, catering to these divergent interests.