A man who has been reliving food safety groundhog day far longer than I, has been awarded a CBE on the Queen’s birthday.

As a crim living in the colonies, I don’t have much use for the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire title, but Hugh Pennington, the Emeritus Professor of bacteriology at Aberdeen University, deserves the honor for services to microbiology and food hygiene.

Professor Pennington was propelled into the international spotlight 13 years ago in the wake of the tragic E. coli outbreak in Wishaw, Lanarkshire, which claimed 20 lives.

He soon became the go-to man for information about health and food safety scares, ranging from swine flu to MRSA or BSE.

The 75-year-old said: “It was a very pleasant surprise when the letter came.

“It’s nice to be recognised for the work one’s been doing over the years in microbiology and food safety. It’s a top award and it shows one has been working hard.

The professor was chair of bacteriology at Aberdeen University from 1979 until his retirement with Emeritus status in 2003.

“People said bugs are finished, they are not a problem any more. With the benefit of hindsight it was wise to reject that advice, and it all followed from there.”