Why is that cows live happily with E coli inside them yet in humans an infection can be fatal? Why is the number of food poisoning cases in the UK increasing? Bugs behave differently in different animals, a fact that has a huge impact on human health and also agriculture. Science has made massive progress in conquering food-borne infections, but now the UK needs an independent food standards agency, not only to focus new research into controlling the bugs responsible, but also to ensure that the breakthroughs which have already been made - and which could save lives - are put into practice.