Update on the work of other Scientific Advisory Committees- May 2025

Paper for Information. 

Scientific Advisory Committees (SAC) Summary of recent activities

This document summarises the recent activity of the FSA’s Scientific Advisory Committees (SACs).  We highlight topics discussed at the most recent meeting and agenda items for the next meeting.

Scientific Advisory Committees (SAC) Summary of recent activities

Science Council

Updated: October 2024.

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.

Interim Chair: Professor John O'Brien.

Secretariat: sciencecouncil@food.gov.uk

Website: science-council.food.gov.uk

Advisory Committee for Social Science (ACSS)

Updated: March 2025.

Last meeting: 9th July 2024.

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 supporting changes to the FSA consumer monitoring surveys. The wider consumer interests working group has recently completed a piece of work outlining the available evidence around consumer knowledge, beliefs and practises around UPFs, Executive Summary | Advisory Committee for Social Science. 

The next open meeting (14^th Plenary) of the ACSS will be an in person meeting on the 19^th March 2025.  

Chair: Julie Hill.

Secretariat: acss@food.gov.uk

Website: acss.food.gov.uk

Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP)

Updated: 1st May 2025.

Last meeting: PGT 18th: 4th March 2025.

ACNFP committee meetings April 2025: 

A successful meeting completing assessments of three more group A CBD assessments moving a step closer to completing the assessment of the applications in the service for the highly purified CBD novel foods.  

A new dossier for a curcumin extract and Bambara, a traditional food from third countries were considered. The Committee also progressed the assessment of EPG a fat replacer which raises some new scientific questions. Members agreed in principle the output from the workshop held on allergenicity of new foods and a bumper annual report of the Committees work. 

Next meeting:  24^th June 2025 (Virtual).

Products of Genetic Technologies Subcommittee (PGT)

PGT Subcommittee

Updated: 6th March 2025. 

 PGT meetings: Sep 2024 - March 2025: 8^th Oct 2024, 11^th Dec 2024, 4^th Mar 2025 - The Sub-Group is chaired by ACNFP Member Andy Greenfield.

Highlight: Safety assessment of seven applications discussed in these meetings:

• 6 had data gaps requiring further information from applicant.
•  3 required additional expertise not represented in PGT – expertise in fish veterinary sciences was commissioned for 2 of these; yeast expertise and toxicology expertise are being sought for the last one.
• 6 CADs were discussed, out of which 3 progressed to ACNFP.
• Nature of the GMOs assessed: new events, and stacks of GM events; some new types of traits (nutritional); first GM micro-organism; upcoming CRISPR generated GMO with interesting insert.

Other work:

• Discussion on the challenges resulting from the expression levels of the newly introduced proteins in the safety assessment of some GMOs.
• Advice on suitability of an FSA internal safety assessment based on other regulator opinion (ORO) for one further GMO application to ensure its safety.
• Note: The FSA draft PB Technical Guidance for Applicants was published on 27^th February 2025, two days after the draft Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 were laid before Parliament. This benefited from input from PGT Members (collectively or as individuals) from December 2023 till May 2024.

Next meeting: 13^th May 2025, in person and dial in.

Chair: Dr Camilla Alexander-White.

Secretariat: acnfp@food.gov.uk
ACNFP Website: Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes | Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes

Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF)

Updated: 4th March 2025.

Last meeting: 06 February 2025

The Committee’s 108^th plenary meeting was on the 6th of February 2025.

Anne Gravett (FSA) gave an update on Root Causes Analysis.

Lorcan Browne (FSA) gave an update on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza B3.13.

Transmission of AMR Campylobacter and Escherichia coli during the processing of chicken meat (Bukola Onarinde, University of Lincoln)-Reserved business.

EFIG summary report (Anthony Wilson, FSA) – Reserved Business

IID3 update (Erica Kintz, FSA) - Reserved Business.

Committee Updates

• Listeria working group

Next meeting: 18 -19^th June 2025.

Chair: Professor Bill Keevil
Secretariat: acmsf@food.gov.uk
Website: acmsf.food.gov.uk

Advisory Committee on Animal Feeding stuffs (ACAF)

Updated: 14^th May 2025.

Last meeting: 3rd April 2025.

3rd April 2025 ACAF Meeting Summary

• Minutes discussed from the last meeting, any changes that need to be made have been noted.
• Dossier for assessment RP1605 Titanium dioxide – members began their initial assessment of this application.
•  Dossier for assessment RP1592 Interban – remaining sections leftover from February meeting were reviewed.
• Dossier for assessment RP2245 GalliPro Fit – the application was reviewed, and the applicant will be asked to provide further information.
• Dossier for assessment RP2247 Enterococcus lactis NCIMB 10415 - the application was reviewed, and the applicant will be asked to provide further information.
• Reviewed the RFI response for RP2074 and RP2107.
• Draft opinions were evaluated for RP1275 and RP1696.

Next meeting: 11th June 2025.

Chair: Professor Nicholas Jonsson

Secretariat: acaf@food.gov.uk

Website: Advisory Committee on animal feedingstuffs | Advisory Committee on animal feedingstuffs (food.gov.uk)

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

Updated: March 2025.
Last meeting: 25^th March 2025.

Topics discussed included:

At their March meeting the Committee reviewed 3 reserved items:

• COT Workshop Report- Gut Reactions: xenobiotics and the microbiome (Reserved).
• Working Group on Plant-based drinks- Draft Report (Reserved).
• Review of the safety of ashwagandha in food, drinks and food supplements (Reserved).

In addition, they reviewed a Risk Assessment of T2 and HT2 mycotoxins in food, and a risk ranking scheme for emerging marine biotoxins.

Finally, the Committee listed to presentations from the FSA Fellow and PhD student updating the Committee on their progress.

Next meeting: 20th of May 2025.

Chair: Professor Alan Boobis
Secretariat: cot@food.gov.uk
Website: Committee on Toxicity | Committee on Toxicity (food.gov.uk)

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

Updated: May 2025.
Last meeting: March 2025. 

Joint workshop with COM and COT, followed by regular COC meeting.

Workshop topics included - AI, UK HSA chemical safety webpages, NAMs in regulatory decision making, germ cell mutagenicity

Regular meeting- Joint session as below, COC Annual report, horizon scanning.

Next meeting: July 2025.

Further meetings: November 2025.

Chair: Professor David Harrison
Secretariat: COC@phe.gov.uk
Website: committee-on-carcinogenicity-of-chemicals-in-food-consumer-products-and-the-environment

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

Updated: May 2025.

Last meeting:  March 2025.

Joint workshop with COC and COT, followed by regular COC meeting.

Workshop topics details as above.

Regular meeting -Joint with COC lung cancer and air pollution.

COM session Annual Report, guidance on QSAR genotoxicity, germ cell mutagenicity classification.

Next meeting:  June 2025.

Further meetings: October 2025.

Chair: Prof Gareth Jenkins.
Secretariat: COM@phe.gov.uk
Website: committee-on-mutagenicity-of-chemicals-in-food-consumer-products-and-the-environment

Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN)

Updated: May 2025.
Last meeting: 13th march 2025.

Meeting focus: 

Plant based drinks, maternal weight outcomes.

Next meeting: 12th June 2025..

Chair: Professor Ian Young.
Secretariat:SACN@dhsc.gov.uk
Website: scientific-advisory-committee-on-nutrition