Joint Expert Group on Additives, Enzymes and other Regulated Products - AEJEG

About

The Joint Expert Group on Additives, Enzymes and other regulated products assesses and provides advice to the FSA or other Government Departments on applications for the authorisation of new food additives or ingredients (including colours, preservatives, flavourings), enzymes and processing aids and on other topics relevant to the assessment of such applications as requested. The group coordinates with and considers the opinions of other relevant bodies concerned with the assessment of food additives and provides advice on general principals or new scientific discoveries in connection with the authorisation of food additives.

In 2023 the Additives, Enzymes and other Regulated Products Joint Expert Group is changing the acronym used to AEJEG. In the past it has been referred to as AERJEG.

Members

Dr Allain Bueno (2019 - Present) - Chair

Dr Allain Bueno is a Principal Lecturer in Human Physiology and Human Nutrition at the University of Worcester, and his main areas of teaching include cardiovascular physiology, neuroendocrine physiology and neurophysiology. Dr Bueno’s current research focuses on the impact of nutrients on human health, with particular attention to essential fatty acids and plant polyphenolic compounds as modulators of oxidative stress, cell membrane composition, brain metabolism and function. Dr Bueno graduated from Paulista School of Medicine, Sao Paulo Federal University. He holds an MPhil and a PhD in Human Nutrition Sciences, and extensive postdoctoral experience in diseases known to influence the central nervous system. He is a Registered Nutritionist with the UK Association for Nutrition.

Dr Allain Bueno was appointed interim chair of the Additives, Enzymes and other Regulated Products Joint Expert Group with effect from 1 January 2023 for 6 months. 

In June 2023, Dr Bueno was made permanent chair of the Additives, Enzymes and other Regulated Products Joint Expert Group.

Dr Claude Lambré (2019 - Present)

Claude is honorary director of research at the French Institute for Health and Medical Research. He has a background in biology, biochemistry and ecology with a specialization in immunology, microbiology, and toxicology. He has extensive experience acting as an expert to EFSA Scientific Panels, JECFA, and JMPR. He was vice-chair of the EFSA Panel on food additives and nutrient sources until July 2018 and is now the Chair of the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Food Enzymes and Processing Aids.

Dr Martin Rose (2019 - Present)

Martin is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester. He is a former member of a number of EFSA panels and working groups. Until recently he worked for Fera as Science lead for the environmental contaminants in food. He is now acting as an independent scientist and provides consultancy work to mainly public sector bodies including the FAO / United Nations.  His expertise is in food chemical safety and analytical chemistry. 

Professor Qasim Chaudhry (2019 - Present)

Qasim is a visiting Professor at the University of Chester. His academic background is in chemistry and biochemical toxicology, with expertise in leading research into health and environmental safety of food and non-food consumer products. His scientific career spans over 35 years, including 25 years at the UK’s Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera).
As an independent scientific Expert, he provides advice to the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) for risk assessment of chemicals and nanomaterials in cosmetics; and various working groups of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Dr Claire Stephenson (2023 – Present)

Claire is a senior residues and dietary exposure expert in the agrochemical industry where she specialises in pesticide metabolism, residues in food and dietary risk assessment. Prior to this she has worked in consultancy and for the UK regulatory authority responsible for the regulation of pesticides, where she was the team lead responsible for MRLs (maximum residue levels of pesticides in food). She was previously the dietary exposure Member of the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) and has represented the UK as a technical expert at a range of EC and EFSA meetings. Claire holds a PhD in biochemistry.

Dr Carol Beevers (2024 - Present)

Carol Beevers is a Regulatory Toxicologist, specialising in genetic toxicology. After gaining a degree in Microbiology and a PhD in Bacterial Genetics, Carol joined the Genetic Toxicology department at Covance Laboratories (now Labcorp) as an in vitro and in vivo Study Director. After almost 20 years in contract research, she moved to consultancy, first in the Human Health Toxicology group at Exponent International and more recently the Toxicology Group at Broughton Life Sciences. In September 2022, Carol joined the Regulatory Toxicology team at Corteva Agriscience. Carol has worked across a variety of industry areas including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, food and food contact materials, and industrial chemicals, where she has specialised in genetic toxicology risk and mode of action assessments. From 2015-2024 she has been a member of the UK Committee on Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products, and the Environment. She is also a member of the OECD Expert Groups for genotoxicity, a work group lead in the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute Genetic Toxicology Testing Committee and part of the International Workgroup on Genotoxicity Testing steering committee.

Dr Andrew Collins (2024 - Present)

Andrew Collins was Professor of Nutrition Biology in the University of Oslo from 2002 until his retirement in 2016; before that he was a Principal Scientist at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen. His expertise is in the measurement of DNA damage and DNA repair in cultured cells and human leukocytes – in particular, in the context of nutrition, and using the comet assay. He has modified this assay to detect a range of DNA lesions, and has helped to develop standard protocols aimed at increasing its reliability.  Along with methods such as the micronucleus assay and bacterial and mammalian mutation assays, the comet assay is widely used in genotoxicity testing.

Emerita Professor Shirley Price

Shirley Price is currently Emerita Professor of Toxicology at the University of Surrey having held several senior posts at the University and is Visiting Professor of Toxicology at the University of Hertfordshire. She has over 30 years’ experience in toxicology specialising in mechanisms of toxicity, risk assessment of chemicals, combined effects of chemical mixtures at low exposure level and the effects of non-genotoxic carcinogens.  Over the course of her academic career, she has been instrumental in providing training programmes in toxicology to industry, regulators and academics. Shirley is currently President of the British Toxicology Society, having held several key positions within the Society and has also chaired the UK Register of Toxicologists.  She is a Fellow of the British Toxicology Society, the Royal Society of Biology, the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  Shirley has worked on a number of government committees including the World Health Organisation’s Reproductive Unit, Veterinary Residues Committee and the Paediatrics Expert Advisory Committee. In May 2014 she was appointed as a Commissioner for the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM). She is also a member of a number of Expert Working Groups within CHM and is a member of the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) Advisory Group (January 2021). Shirley is one of the Associate Editors for the Toxicology Research Journal and has been a reviewer for a number of other scientific journals.

Meetings

AEJEG Meetings

Working Groups

Smoke Flavourings Working Group (SFWG)