Novel Foods
In the European Union, most foods can be freely marketed, but new or innovative foods and ingredients, where there is insufficient evidence of their safety and tolerance, must undergo a formal approval process before entering the market. This category, known as Novel Foods, includes a range of products such as newly developed or innovative foods, those produced using emerging technologies or novel production processes, and foods traditionally consumed outside the EU (i.e. not within Europe). The EU’s regulatory framework ensures that these foods are thoroughly assessed for safety, providing consumers with confidence in their quality and minimizing potential risks before they are made available on the European market.
Definition (Regulation (EC) 2015/2283):
| “Novel food” means any food that was not used for human consumption to a significant degree within the Union before 15 May 1997, irrespective of the dates of accession of Member States to the Union, and that falls under at least one of the following categories. |
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The regulation (EU 2015/2283) on novel foods has been in force since 2018 and replaced the former novel food regulation from 1997 (Regulation (EC) 258/97).
Other relevant regulations:
- Commission implementing regulation (EU) 2017/2468 administrative and scientific requirements concerning traditional foods from third countries
- Commission implementing regulation (EU) 2017/2469 administrative and scientific requirements for applications referred to the defined categories of novel foods
- Commission implementing regulation (EU) 2017/2470 establishing the Union list of novel foods
- Commission implementing regulation (EU) 2018/456 procedural steps of the consultation process for determination of novel food status