Annex 1 - Terms of Reference

To advise at the request of:

Food Standards Agency

Food Standards Scotland

Public Health England

Department of Health and Social Care

Other Government Departments and Agencies and those of the UK devolved Administrations.

1. To assess and advise on the toxic risk to man of substances which are:

a) used or proposed to be used as food additives or used in such a way that they might contaminate food through their use or natural occurrence in agriculture, including horticulture and veterinary practice or in the distribution, storage, preparation, processing or packaging of food.

b) used or proposed to be used or manufactured or produced in industry, agriculture, food storage or any other workplace.

c) used or proposed to be used as household goods or toilet goods and preparations.

d) used or proposed to be used as drugs, when advice is requested by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

e) used or proposed to be used or disposed of in such a way as to result in pollution of the environment.

2. To advise on important general principles or new scientific discoveries in connection with toxic risks, to co-ordinate with other bodies concerned with the assessment of toxic risks and to present recommendations for toxicity testing.