Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on novel foods

On 14 January 2008, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Novel Food.

The legislative discussions under the Ordinary legislative procedure mainly focused on the provisions applicable to nanomaterials, the cloning of animals for food production, traditional foods from third countries, the criteria to be examined for the risk assessment and risk management and to the procedure for the authorisation of novel foods in accordance with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (Lisbon Treaty).

The discussions reached a stalemate on a limited number of issues (in particular those linked to cloning of animals). The Conciliation Committee did not reach a final agreement at its last meeting on 28 March 2011 and the proposal was not adopted by the Union legislator.

The Commission considers that issues related to cloning of farm animals should be addressed in a separate proposal, based on an impact assessment. This proposal is therefore limited to the safety of novel food and is based on the overall agreement achieved in Conciliation.

This proposal aims to ensure food safety, to protect public health and secure the functioning of the internal market for food, while supporting innovation for the food sector. It aims to streamline the authorisation procedure, to improve its efficiency and transparency. It clarifies the definition of a novel food, including new technologies which have an impact on food. It introduces a faster and more proportionate safety assessment for traditional foods from third countries having a history of safe food use.

The general criteria for the Novel Food definition remain unchanged: novel foods are foods and food ingredients which were not consumed in the EU to a significant degree before the entry into force (15 May 1997) of the current Novel Food Regulation.

EUR-Lex: COM(2013)894: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2013:894:FIN

ESO: Background information: Food: Commission tables proposals on animal cloning and novel food http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-food-commission-tables-proposals-on-animal-cloning-and-novel-food/

---