New EU novel food rules countdown begins

EFSA has acted on European Commission pressure to update not only scientific guidance for submitting novel food applications in the EU, but also the administrative guidance.

The two updates, carried out following stakeholder consultation, better clarify the complex processes food and drink manufacturers must endure to gain novel foods approval.

“First, the scientific guidance outlines the scientific information applications must provide,” says EFSA nutrition and food innovation unit scientific officer Ermolaos Ververis. “Second, the administrative guidance clarifies the process for applying, which is handled by our front-desk support team.”

Businesses, including cell culture-derived food companies, need apply the guidance update to applications from February 2025, only.

EFSA made the updates to better reflect the EU legal framework for novel foods, as well as recent food research and innovation advancements.

Novel foods safety assessment

“The novel food industry is evolving quickly, and it’s important that our safety assessment processes keep up,” continues Ververis.

“We’ve seen a growing variety of novel food applications, and the update takes this into account.”

Significant data had also been gathered since the novel food regulation’s initial implementation in 2018. As a result, EFSA had more experience in the process and built a better understanding of how to clarify definitions as well as the data requirements needed from applicants to submit higher-quality paperwork.

Read more: UK FSA pushes through speedier novel foods approval process​

Updates to the scientific guidance outline how businesses should describe and identify the novel food, as well as processing, composition, specifications and proposed use details.