General

Terms of Reference

The Committee's terms of reference

Last updated: 18 August 2020

To advise at the request of: 

  • Department of Health
  • Food Standards Agency
  • Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
  • Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions
  • Health and Safety Executive
  • Health Protection Agency
  • Chemicals Regulation Directorate
  • Veterinary Medicines Directorate
  • Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
  • Home Office
  • Scottish Executive
  • National Assembly for Wales
  • Northern Ireland Executive
  • Other Government Departments and Agencies

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

  • 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;
  • used or proposed to be used or manufactured or produced in industry, agriculture, food storage or any other workplace;
  • used or proposed to be used as household goods or toilet goods and preparations;
  • used or proposed to be used as drugs, when advice is requested by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency;
  • used or proposed to be used or disposed of in such a way as to result in pollution of the environment.

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.