Research and development services and related consultancy services

Tender description

This project is part of the radiological programme that includes monitoring and assessing the impact on the food chain of radiological discharges. The programme includes the monitoring for levels of radioactivity in food and the predictive modelling of exposure. The work enables FSA to assure the public about the safety of food, and this is an important contributing factor to public confidence in the nuclear industry and power generation. The results of the work inform and are essential to the production of the annual Radioactivity in Food and the Environment report. Each year in partnership with EA, NRW and SEPA, the FSA publishes a report: ‘Radioactivity in Food and the Environment’ (RIFE) which provides the most comprehensive annual independent report of public exposure to radioactivity in the UK.RIFE assesses the effects of radioactivity on the public including people who live close to nuclear sites and eat locally produced food. The report also assesses the exposure to radioactivity from the direct radiation arising from activities carried out on nuclear sites. To support the production of RIFE the FSA (supported by the EA and ONR) instructs a technical support contractor to undertake a Consumer Habits Research Programme around nuclear licensed sites in England and Wales. Each year, surveys of local habits for leisure, dwelling and food consumption at a selection of sites are conducted. The sites are agreed at an annual meeting of FSA, EA and ONR.