Novel Foods in the European Union

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-vi

   PDF

2. EU Regulation on Novel Foods

   • Daniele Pisanello, Giorgia Caruso

   Pages 1-29

3. Toxicological Studies in Assessing Novel Food Safety

   • Daniele Pisanello, Giorgia Caruso

   Pages 31-45

4. Novel Foods: The ‘History of Safe Use’ Approach

   • Daniele Pisanello, Giorgia Caruso

   Pages 47-54

This Brief describes in three concise chapters one of the newest ‘hot topics’ under EU Food Law and Policy: the new Regulation (EU) No 2015/2283 from the European Parliament and by the Council, November 25, 2015, on novel foods, applicable from January 2018. 

In this work, the Authors discuss the long-time criticized EU Regulation on novel foods ((EC) No 258/1997) and how it has been significantly altered by the adoption of the new regulation. In the first chapter, the Authors provide a comprehensive analysis of the genesis of the new Regulation, its rationale and the policy’s goals. In particular, they describe what food business operators shall do in order to get a new product allowed on the EU market, providing updated information on the regulatory developments from the European Food Safety Authority in nanofoods, cloned animals and insect foods. The role of the European Food Safety Authority is also discussed. The second Chapter summarizes the current toxicological studies used to evaluate novel foods safety, which are an extremely important pillar when speaking of food safety and commercial introduction of new products. Finally, the third Chapter discusses the ‘history of safe use’ approach to the problem of novel foods, and factors such as consumption period analysis, preparation advices and processes, intake levels, nutritional composition, and results of animal studies.

Food lawyers, professionals and auditors working in the area of official inspections, quality assurance, food traceability, and international regulation, both in academia and industry, will find this Brief an important account.

• food safety
• novel foods
• Food toxicology
• European Food Safety Authority
• nutritional profile
• history of safe use
• insect food
• nano food
• food processing

• Lex Alimentaria Studio Legale Associato, Milan, Italy

  Daniele Pisanello

• Enbiotech S.r.l., Palermo, Italy

  Giorgia Caruso

Daniele Pisanello is an independent legal expert in agro-food regulation providing tailor-made legal service and consultancy. Among his scientific contributions on Food Law & Policy, you will find the articles on ‘What do Food Safety and Fair Trade stand for? Reconciling the twofold objective of EU Food Law’, European Food and Feed Law Review, 5/2009, and the book ‘Chemistry of Foods: EU Legal and Regulatory Approaches’, SpringerBriefs in Chemistry of Foods.

Giorgia Caruso started her career in Food Science as a researcher, focusing on foodborne pathogens (Shiga-toxin producing E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria) and food technology (shelf life extension techniques, food irradiation). With a specialization in Clinical Microbiology and Virology at the “Policlinico Paollo Giaccone” Hospital (Palermo, Italy), she is currently working in the biotechnology sector for Enbiotech S.r.l. (Palermo, Italy), and she has also contributed to the SpringerBriefs in Chemistry ofFoods series, Food Packaging Bulletin and other food-related international journals. 

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