'Novel' food variety to expand across EU

A new regulation has been introduced to expand the variety of foods available on the European Union (EU) market to account for innovation and technology developments in the food sector.

Changes include an enlarged definition for 'novel' foods and a centralised EU-wide authorisation system for them.

Novel food is that which has not been consumed to a significant degree by people in the EU before May 1997, when the first regulation on novel food came into force, according to the European Commission's definition.

It can include innovative food, food produced using new technologies or items that have not been traditionally eaten in the EU.

European commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, said the changes would make the process of authorising and placing novel food on the European market "simpler, quicker and more applicant-friendly, while fully ensuring food safety".

She added: "We hope this will add to the variety already present on the EU market of healthy, nutritious traditional and innovative foods."

All novel foods, before than can be authorised, must be scientifically proven to be safe to public health.

The authorisation then sets out the conditions for their use, their designation as food and labelling requirements.

The new regulation came into force on January 1.