Commission encourages development of 'innovative' foods

The European novel food regulation could bring the waiting time from around three years to just one for the applicants.

This proposal aims to create a more efficient and practical system for regulating novel foods, which will offer EU consumers the benefit of the most up-to-date choice of foodstuffs possible and provide a favourable environment for the food industry in Europe. The Commission proposed the creation of a centralised authorisation system, which would simplify and speed up the process of authorisation for novel foods. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) would be responsible for carrying out the risk assessment on the novel food applications. The Commission would then propose authorisation if a food was judged safe by EFSA. 

The proposal also sets out data protection rules to allow companies to benefit from newly developed scientific evidence and proprietary data once authorised. A five-year market authorisation exclusivity on new types of foods and food production techniques is proposed to encourage innovation.