Update from other committees

ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE MICROBIOLOGICAL SAFETY OF FOOD

INFORMATION PAPER

Updates from other Committees

Science Council  

Last open meeting: March 2024 

Summary 

• Workshop with experts to discuss the “Future of Food Safety” and shortlist 51 key questions within the FSA strategy to deliver food consumers can trust.  By this we mean a food system in which: 

• Food is safe 

• Food is what it says it is 

• Food is healthier and more sustainable 

• The report of this workshop will be published in the first quarter of 2025.  

Next open meeting: March 2025

Advisory Committee for  Social Science (ACSS) 

Last meeting: 9th July (13^th plenary), key discussion items included: maximising the impact of the Kitchen Life 2 project, the biennial FSA business tracker survey, the evidence base for assessing the impact of regulatory reform, and, understanding changes to, and drivers of, trust in the food system. 

Four working groups are currently active, supporting the development of a range of research activity, from the evidence behind the 2024/25 Spending Review business case, to a rapid evidence assessment outlining the available evidence around consumer knowledge, beliefs and practises around UPFs. 

The next open meeting (14^th Plenary) of the ACSS will be a hybrid meeting in March 2025. 

Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) 

Last meeting 168^th: 17^th and 18^th Sep 2024 

• Constructive meeting of the full committee to explore the way forward for a number of ongoing applications. Committee Advice documents were cleared for 9 applications: 1 GM (to be concluded by Chairs action following minor amendments), 2 returning NFs (to be reviewed by members and completed by chairs action), 2 new NF application undergoing assessment and requiring further information form the applicant, 3 CBD with a way forward agreed and another CBD with consideration on further approach evaluated. 

• 2 NF CADs that had their assessment concluded by correspondence were agreed and will enter the publication process. 

• The Committee also reviewed a proposal to consider formation of a new subgroup for alternative and cell cultivated proteins, all in agreement. 

• Lastly, a joint COT and ACNFP draft statement on Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as a contaminant in food was reviewed with some amendments suggested. 

Next meeting:  20^th November 2024 (Virtual) 

PGT Subcommittee 

Last PGT meeting: 8^th October 2024 

Highlight: Constructive meeting where advice was received on the assessment of one returning GM application (RP2065) and a new one (RP2044).  

The Subcommittee identified where further information from the applicants and further expertise on the committee were needed to complete the safety assessment of the two other applications.  

The Subcommittee also discussed the safety assessment of GMOs in which expression levels and/or other properties of the newly introduced proteins present challenges for analysis. 

Next meeting (PGT17): 11^th December 2024 

CBD Subgroup 

Last CBD meeting: 11^th September 2024 

Highlight: A successful meeting in which members progressed the reviews of wider cross cutting questions on CBD safety. In the meeting, the subgroup reviewed updated group A (>98% pure CBD) datasets to review the quality of the evidence and check that new evidence did not impact on the published provisional ADI for >98% pure CBD.  

Further actions for the draft statement on the safety of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as a contaminant of foods was discussed and reviewed, with particular emphasis on the importance of document structure and consistency with referenced materials. 

Next main meeting: 6^th November 2024 (CBD13 – Group B wash up, study reviews and THC).

Advisory Committee on Animal Feeding stuffs (ACAF) 

Last meeting: 17^th September 2024

17^th September 2024 ACAF Meeting Summary  

• Minutes discussed from the last meeting, any changes that need to be made have been noted. 

• Dossier for assessment RP1644 Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y1242 – the application was reviewed, and the applicant will be asked to provide further information. 

• Dossier for assessment RP1696 Bacillus velezensis ATCC PTA-6737 – the application was reviewed, and the applicant will be asked to provide further information. 

• Reviewed the RFI responses for RP1258, RP1366 and RP1400. 

• The post-market monitoring report for RP1070, RP1071 and RP1072 was reviewed. 

• Draft opinions were evaluated for RP1026/RP1027, RP1154, RP1298, RP1341, RP1421, RP1512 and RP2059. The members provided feedback on the content and finalised previous opinions. 

Next meeting: 30^th October 2024 

Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT)

Last meeting: 3^rd September 2024. 

At their September meeting the Committee commented on a Committee Advice document submitted by the Joint Expert Group on Additives Enzymes and other regulated products (AEJEG)  RP1245 Steviol glycosides (reserved).  The committee also reviewed an application to authorise iron-enriched yeast as a permitted form of iron which can be voluntarily added to foods for specific groups, food supplements and general foods (Reserved).  

In addition, they discussed the COT Ways of Working with a particular focus on the discussion papers and how they should be used and on horizon scanning.   

The Committee received a presentation and discussed a review of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in regulatory decisions for chemical safety.  

Next meeting: 21^st of October 2024.  

Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment   (COC)

Last meeting: 21^st March 2024 

Updating guidance statements 

Output of horizon scanning workshops 

Presentation on a revised strategy for the assessment of Chemical carcinogenicity 

Next meeting:  November 2024 

The Committee on Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COM)  

Last meeting: 20^th June 2024 

Horizon scanning- presentations on Computational methods and mutagenicity and on Artificial Intelligence and mutagenicity data.  

Guidance statement on the use of Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSAR). 

Next meeting: October 2024  

Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN)  

Last meeting: 19^th June 2024 

·       Nutrition and maternal health (reserved)  

·       Joint COT/SACN working Group report on plant-based drinks (reserved) 

Secretariat

October 2024