JOANNE HUBBARD, 37, a public analyst at Eurofins Laboratories in Manchester

“If I hadn’t left school at 16 I might never have become a public analyst. I liked science at school but I also loved English literature, so my career path could have been very different.

“Instead of staying on to take my A levels, I joined a youth training scheme at BP Chemicals in Hull and worked there as a laboratory technician. My colleagues encouraged me to go to university, where I ended up earning a chemistry degree. My first job after university was at a public analysts’ laboratory, and that was what encouraged me to take it up as a career.

“I work for a number of local authorities in the Manchester area testing food and animal feed to make sure that it complies with safety standards and that it is fit for human (or animal) consumption.

“There are legal limits to additives, colourants, and so on, and I check the composition. There has to be a certain percentage of meat in meat products, for example, and people may remember the Sudan 1 food dye scare of a couple of years ago, so public analysts are always on the lookout for the next rogue additive.

“Dodgy takeaways also end up on my desk. When environmental health officers in the Manchester area receive complaints about food from members of the public, they will send samples of the offending morsels to me for analysis.

“Although my responsibility lies with food standards, other public analysts check the quality of toys and consumer products and look at environmental issues such as the quality of water and air.

“There is new legislation to keep up to date with, and you never know what food scare might crop up next. I’m lucky to be able to build on my skills and I’m motivated by what I’m doing to protect the public.”

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