Novel Food: Exotic Foods That Are New to The European Market

You may have heard the term “novel food” before and wondered what it actually is. We have the answer and explain what distinguishes the novel foods.

Always something new: Novel Food

They are the newcomers in the food trade and often come from far away: Novel Food. This includes novel foods that were hardly traded or consumed in the European Union before May 15, 1997. They can also be sorted into one of the food categories of the so-called Novel Food Regulation. Since the beginning of 2018, a new version has regulated which novel food may be placed on the EU market. In this way, the European Union is taking into account the trend towards modern foods such as superfoods and wants to ensure their safety. If a novel food has made it through the approval process of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the EU Commission, it is included in the Novel Food Catalogue.

This is on the novel food list

Examples of novel foods are insects and fruits such as camu-camu, but also foods produced or treated using new technologies. These include, for example, milk and bread irradiated with UV light – the process is intended to increase the vitamin D content. The novel food catalog also includes fat substitutes modified by molecular biology, ingredients isolated from plants and animals, and cloned meat. Some substances such as cannabidiol (CBD) are controversial. The discussion ignited around the question of whether or not hemp-derived CBD is a novel food. The current novel food list (as of May 2020) includes cannabidiol, cannabinoids, and cannabis sativa L. (hemp) – it remains to be seen how the novel food approval will continue.

Labeling and legal framework for novel foods

It is important for consumers to know that flavorings and additives are not covered by the Novel Food Regulation, nor are genetically modified organisms. While genetically engineered foods must be expressly labeled as such, there is no such obligation for novel foods. So sometimes you can’t recognize novel food. Products with added phytosterols, which are said to lower cholesterol and make up the majority of novel food approvals, are subject to their own labeling requirements, so you’re not left in the dark here. Otherwise, the same provisions apply to novel food as to any other food, including functional food. Scientifically unproven health effects may not be advertised.