The publication of the new regulation on Novel Foods, which novel foods will be regulated in the European Union, it has been long awaited by both the food industry and its suppliers of ingredients and additives.

The professor, Andrés Gavilán, the G.B Consulting expert and the chairman of the Spanish Association of manufacturers and marketers of additives and food supplements, AFCA, details in this article the key points of Regulation (EU) 2015/2883.

Finally, the long awaited regulation on foods / novel ingredients has come true with the publication on 11 December 2015 Regulation (EU) 2015/2883 concerning to the novel foods.

With the publication of the new text, engineered nanomaterial, which will enable the development of functional foods with novel properties and Applications for highly innovative foods are allowed.
Here is the list of novel foods:

Novel ingredients are new ingredients not significantly traded before May 15, 1997, including GMOs. According to the publication of the December 11, 2015 Regulation (EU) 2015/2883, that includes:

1. Ingredients with new molecular structures and GMO.
2. Ingredients of microorganisms, fungi or algae, isolated or produced from them.
3. Ingredients of materials of mineral origin isolated or produced from them.
4. Ingredients of plants or parts of these plants, or isolated or produced from them, except those that existed before May 15, 1997 in the EU.
5. Ingredients in cell culture or in tissue culture, from plants, animals, microorganisms, fungi or algae, isolated, or produced from them.
6. Food with animal’s origin isolated or produced from them, except for animals obtained by traditional practices in the EU before 15 May 1997.
7. Ingredients obtained from a new production process not used for food production, generating significantly changes in the composition or of the food structure, not used in the EU before 15 May 1997.
8. Nanomaterials (explained below).
9. Vitamins, minerals and other substances in food production processes applied not used before 15 May 1997 or containing nanomaterials.
10. Ingredients used exclusively in food supplements, that have been used in the EU before 15 May 1997, when were used in foods different from food supplements.

Likewise, the Euorpean Union in This Novel Foods regulation provides a procedure for authorization of a new food, to facilitate food companies a practical guide to gain approval for the use of future novel foods.