News & Press Releases

Thursday 22 February 2001

Members of new Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition appointed

Joint announcement by the Department of Health, the Scottish Executive, teh National Assembly for Wales, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety Northern Ireland and the Food Standards Agency.

Yvette Cooper, the Public Health Minister, announced today on behalf of the UK Health Departments and The Food Standards Agency the appointment of members to the new Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

SACN will be a committee of independent experts, which will advise the Government on matters relating to diet and nutrition and health. SACN succeeds the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) which was established in 1963. The Committee's establishment follows the setting up of the Food Standards Agency and the consequent need to review existing arrangements for scientific advice on nutrition. The Committee will advise The Agency and Health Departments and will be supported by a joint secretariat from The Agency and the Department of Health.

The following people have been appointed as members. They bring varied expertise and valuable experience with them. Their scientific advice will be crucial to the development of public health policy on nutrition.

Professor Peter Aggett(OBE) University of Lancashire   4yrs
Professor Annie Anderson University of Dundee 4yrs
Professor Sheila Bingham MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge 4yrs
Dr John Cummings University of Dundee 2yrs
Ms Gillian Fine Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd 3yrs
Ms Paulette Jones DIVERT Trust, London 2yrs
Dr Timothy Key ICRF, Oxford 2yrs
Professor Peter Kopelmann St Bartholomew's & Royal London School Medicine & Dentistry 3yrs
Dr Ann Prentice MRC HNR, Cambridge 4yrs
Professor Andrew Rugg-Gunn Newcastle University Dental School 3yrs
Professor Prakash Shetty London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine 4yrs
Dr Anita Thomas Derriford Hospital, Plymouth 3yrs
Mrs Stella Walsh Leeds Metropolitan University / National Federation of Consumer Groups 3yrs
Dr Anthony Williams St Georges' Hospital, London 4yrs
Professor Christine Williams University of Reading 4yrs

Professor Alan Jackson was appointed as Chair last April.

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