Minutes of the AEJEG 1st April 2025
Joint Expert Group on Additives, Enzymes, and other Regulated Products (AEJEG)
Meeting of the Committee at 09:30 on Tuesday 1st of April 2025 via Microsoft Teams
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Chair: |
Dr Allain Bueno |
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AEJEG Members: |
Prof Qasim Chaudhry Dr Martin Rose Dr Claire Stephenson Dr Andrew Collins Dr Carol Beevers Dr Claude Lambré |
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Food Standards Agency (FSA) Secretariat: |
Dr Gaetana Spedalieri - FSA Scientific Secretary Mr Thomas Hornsby Ms Natasha Adams Ms Abigail Smith Dr Katie Schulz Ms Polly Bevan Dr Yoana Petrova |
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FSA and other Officials: |
Ms Michelle Hutchison |
Contents
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Item |
Topic |
Paragraph |
|---|---|---|
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1 |
Welcomes and Apologies for absence |
3 – 4 |
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2 |
Matters arising: Flavourings guidance weight of evidence document |
5 - 6 |
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3 |
RP41 Extension of use of curcumin (E 100) to a new food category “egg analogues.” Committee Advice Document. |
7 – 8 |
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4 |
RP733 Application for the authorisation of soy leghemoglobin derived from Pichia pastoris as a flavouring precursor for plant-based meat alternatives in the United Kingdom, Cover paper |
9 - 11 |
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5 |
RP733 – Application for the authorisation of soy leghemoglobin derived from Pichia pastoris as a flavouring precursor for plant-based meat alternatives in the United Kingdom, Paper for discussion |
12 - 13 |
|
6 |
RP733 – Application for the authorisation of soy leghemoglobin derived from Pichia pastoris as a flavouring precursor for plant-based meat alternatives in the United Kingdom (RP733), Update Paper. |
14 - 15 |
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7 |
Minutes of the last meeting |
16 - 17 |
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8 |
Any other business |
18 - 19 |
Announcements
1. It was announced that Professor Shirley Price joined as a guest member for the meeting.
Interests
2. No conflicts of interest were declared.
Item 1: Welcome and apologies
3. The chair welcomed Members and the Secretariat.
4. Apologies were received from Dr Claire Stephenson who would be leaving the meeting at 11:00 and Tahmina Khan of the Secretariat.
Item 2: Matters Arising: Flavourings guidance weight of evidence document
5. The AEJEG was presented with a weight of evidence (WoE) document for flavourings guidance outlining the approach to the exposure assessment for new applications. Members were invited to consider the document and offer any comments and suggestions.
6. The Secretariat advised that the WoE would be amended and circulated to Members before being presented to the COT.
Item 3: RP41 Extension of use of curcumin (E 100) to a new food category “egg analogues.” Committee Advice Document.
7. The AEJEG was presented with and asked to evaluate the draft CAD for regulated products application RP41. This Application is for the extension of use of curcumin (E 100) to the new proposed food category ‘egg analogues’ under category 12.9 ‘protein products, excluding products covered in category 1.8’. This would be further separated into ‘Liquid egg analogues’ and ‘Solid egg analogues’.
8. The AEJEG reviewed the draft CAD for application RP41. Overall, the AEJEG were satisfied with the contents of the CAD, it was agreed final conclusions would be added and finalised via email correspondence.
Item 4: RP733 – Application for the authorisation of soy leghemoglobin derived from Pichia pastoris as a flavouring precursor for plant-based meat alternatives in the United Kingdom (RP733), Update Paper.
9. The AEJEG was presented with the application RP733 for the authorisation of soy leghemoglobin derived from Pichia pastoris as a flavouring precursor for plant-based meat alternatives in the United Kingdom, this had been previously presented at the April 2024 AEJEG meeting. As a result of this meeting, Members of the AEJEG requested further information from the Applicant on the areas of; 90-day study, thermal degradation study, and batch identity.
10. The Applicants response to this request for information was presented to the AEJEG.
11. Members agreed that the response to the question regarding the 90-day study was adequate however, they did not consider that the thermal degradation information presented within the RFI response was satisfactory, Members agreed that an RFI would be required, and questions would be formed after deliberating all thermal degradation information in the following item.
Item 5: RP733 – Application for the authorisation of soy leghemoglobin derived from Pichia pastoris as a flavouring precursor for plant-based meat alternatives in the United Kingdom, Paper for discussion
12. Members were presented with a discussion paper which outlined all the information that the Applicant of RP733 had provided over the course of the assessment on the thermal degradation study. The discussion paper on the thermal degradation study was presented and the AEJEG were asked to consider the information presented, and if any further information was required.
13. The AEJEG were not satisfied with the thermal degradation study and agreed that a request for information (RFI) would be raised to cover all questions raised during the meeting, and this application would return to the AEJEG as an update paper.
Item 6: RP733 Application for the authorisation of soy leghemoglobin derived from Pichia pastoris as a flavouring precursor for plant-based meat alternatives in the United Kingdom, Cover paper
14. Members were presented with the cover paper for RP733 which had been updated to include all RFI responses received from the Applicant over the course of the assessment.
15. The AEJEG was not satisfied with the information provided and agreed that a decision on the Application could not yet be made. An RFI would be issued as agreed upon in the previous session. The AEJEG was informed that the cover paper would be updated to reflect the discussion of the meeting.
Item 7: Minutes of the last meeting
16. Members were presented with the minutes of the AEJEG meeting held on the 11th February 2025.
17. The minutes of the last meeting were agreed as accurate record, subject to minor editorial changes.
Item 8: AOB
18. There was not any other business.
19. The next AEJEG meeting is to be held virtually on the 4th of June 2025.