Transparency data

TOX/2026/28 Update on the work of other advisory committees - for information   - July 2026

Published 6 July 2026

Science Council (SC)

Summary

Updated: June 2026.

Science Council is currently working on its next piece of work reviewing food safety during system disruptions.  The Council will be running an expert elicitation workshop in July bringing together key UK experts to consider representative case studies of system disruption (extreme weather events, contamination etc) to identify risk cascades impacting UK food safety and propose interventions to build resilience.

Further Information

Next plenary: October 2026.

Chair: Professor John O’Brien

Secretariat: sciencecouncil@food.gov.uk

Website: Science Council Science Council

Advisory Committee for Social Science (ACSS)

Summary

Updated: June 2026.

Last meeting: 10th April 2026 (16th plenary)

Key discussion items included:

• Analytic Unit Update.
• Working groups updates (Assurance, Understanding Regulatory Change, Economics, Wider Consumer Interests).
• Science Council update.
• Evidence review of regulatory interventions to improve food system outcomes: Discussion of key findings and next steps.

Four working groups are currently active, supporting the development of a range of research activity, from exploring impact metrics for National Food Crime unit (NFCU), to understanding consumer behaviour around the handling of raw pet food.

Further Information

The next open meeting (17th Plenary) of the ACSS will be in November 2026. We anticipate the agenda will be focused on food hypersensitivity research, including key findings from work exploring the FSAs provision of information guidance.

Chair: Julie Hill

Secretariat: acss@food.gov.uk

Website: Advisory Committee for Social Science Advisory Committee for Social Science

Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP)

Summary

Updated: June 2026.

ACNFP Committee meeting 23rd April 2026:

• A successful online meeting focusing on food innovation and projects on cell cultivated products supported by Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) funding to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
• The Committee reviewed two full novel food applications for precision fermented food (Beta-lactoglobulin RP1571 and Human-equivalent lactoferrin alpha) and identified further information that would need to be requested from the applicant to demonstrate safety under the proposed uses for both applications.
• The Committee reviewed two full novel food applications for cell-cultivated products (CCPs) (cultivated chicken biomass RP2218 and cell-cultivated duck RP2241) for a second time. This considered initial responses on the identity and use of the novel food to further support the assessment of these complex and innovative products. This discussion continued the journey in fast tracking the knowledge of these innovative foods and developing sector.
• The Committee also commented on the FSA owned draft supplementary guidance for cell-cultivated products (CCP) on identity, production process and microbiological elements of CCP safety. This provides a constructive basis for the review of this type of product in future and allowing implementation of the learning from the Cell Cultivated Products Sandbox.

ACNFP-PGT Subcommittee meeting 12th May 2026:

Successful meeting, where the Subcommittee discussed the assessment of precision bred organisms using some case studies to support the preparations for the new precision breeding regime. A workshop also took place, focusing on horizon scanning of genetic technologies for foods and feeds from microorganisms, plants and animals. The next meeting will be in July 2026.

ACNFP-CCP Subgroup meeting April 23rd:

• A meeting of the CCP Subgroup was held on 23rd April to support the development of guidance addressing the growth media composition and toxicological risk assessment elements of CCP safety assessment. Next meeting will be in July 2026
• ACNFP-CBD sub-group: it should be noted that this sub-group concluded its formal work as a group in January 2025. However, if new scientific information becomes available, expert members from ACNFP and the Committee on Toxicity (COT) will be reconvened ad hoc to advise the FSA on the relevance of the new work to the FSAs conclusions and advice on Cannabidiol (CBD).

Further Information

Next ACNFP meeting: 17th June 2026 (Hybrid).

Next ACNFP-PGT meeting: 29th July 2026 (Virtual) .

Next ACNFP-CCP Subgroup: 22nd July 2026 (Virtual).

Chair: Dr Camilla Alexander-White

Secretariat: acnfp@food.gov.uk

Website: Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes

Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF)

Summary

Updated: 12/03/2026.

Last meeting: 05 February 2026.

The Committee’s 111th plenary meeting was on the 5th of February 2026:

• Anthony Wilson (FSA) gave an update on the work of the Listeria working group (Reserved business).

• Elaine Pegg (FSA) provided an update to the Committee Expertise review.

• Tasmin Dewe, Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) presented a summary of the recently published Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance and Sales Surveillance (VARRS) report (Reserved business).

• Science Council update (Anthony Wilson, FSA) - Reserved business.

• EFIG update (Anthony Wilson, FSA) – Reserved Business.

• Overview of Campylobacter SRA (Elli Amanatidou, FSA) - Reserved business.

• The third study of infectious intestinal disease in the UK (IID3) update (Lauren Adams, FSA) - Reserved Business.

Further Information

Next meeting: 17-18th June 2026 in York.

Chair: Mr Alec Kyriakides

Secretariat: acmsf@food.gov.uk

Website: Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of food Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of food

Advisory Committee on Animal Feeding stuffs (ACAF)

Summary

Updated: June 2026.

Last meeting: 9th June 2026.

• Introduction to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) consultations.
• EFSA consultation on Feed for particular nutritional uses (PARNUTs).
• Update on Boaver.
• ACAF annual progress report.
• Coccidiostat paper.
• Highlights from coccidiosis conference.

Further Information

Next meeting: 10th September 2026.

Interim Chair: Professor Nick Wheelhouse

Secretariat: acaf@food.gov.uk

Website: Advisory Committee on animal feedingstuffs Advisory Committee on animal feedingstuffs

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

Summary

Updated: May 2026.

Last meeting: 19th May 2026.

At their May meeting the Committee reviewed a second draft statement on Ashwagandha (Reserved). They continued their work on the maternal diet, reviewing a draft position statement on Calcidiol in the maternal diet.

The Committee discussed a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities (SWOT) analysis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Chemical Risk Assessment (CRA) (Reserved).

The Committee received presentations updating them on the New Approach Methodologies (NAM)s work being conducted by the LiDO PhD Student at King’s College London and the FSA fellow at the University of Birmingham.

Further Information

Next meeting: 14th July 2026 (Virtual).

Chair: Rev Professor Reverend Lesley Stanley

Secretariat: COT@food.gov.uk

Website: Committee on Toxicity Committee on Toxicity

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

Summary

Updated: March 2026.

Last meeting: 19 March 2025.

Update on talc (non-asbestiform) assessment, the end of the genetic paradigm of cancer – consideration of submissions on COC case for change, horizon scanning.

Further Information

Next meeting: July 2026.

Further meetings: October 2026.

Chair: Professor David Harrison

Secretariat: COC@ukhsa.gov.uk

Website: Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment - GOV.UK

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

Summary

Updated: March 2026.

Last meeting: February 2026. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) process, OECD error corrected sequencing, OECD review paper on Gamma H2XA method.

Further Information

Next meeting: June 2026.

Further meetings: October 2026.

Chair: Prof Gareth Jenkins

Secretariat: COM@ukhsa.gov.uk

Website: Committee on Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment - GOV.UK

Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN)

Summary

Updated: March 2026.

Last meeting: 12 March 2026.

Nutrition and maternal health, review of health effects of meat (reserved), horizon scanning.

Further Information

Next meeting: 17/18 June.

Further meetings: 19 November 2026.

Chair: Professor Julie Lovegrove

Secretariat: SACN@dhsc.gov.uk

Website: Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) - GOV.UK