Application of the “Novel Foods” Regulation to Botanicals in the European Union

Javier Morán () and Alina Kilasoniya
Additional contact information
Javier Morán: Department of Food Innovation, Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia, 30107 Murcia, Spain
Alina Kilasoniya: International PhD School, Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia, 30107 Murcia, Spain

Laws, 2024, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: The European Union classifies “novel foods” as those not widely consumed before 15 May 1997. This category includes recently created, innovative foods, as well as those made using new technologies and processes, and foods with a traditional consumption history outside the EU. Distinguishing between “novel” and “conventional” foods is legally significant, as the former require official authorization under the Novel Foods Regulation. The regulation prioritizes safety, accurate labeling, and nutritional parity with replaced foods. Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, effective from 1 January 2018, replaced prior regulations, facilitating access to the EU market for novel and innovative foods while maintaining high safety standards. Classifying botanical products as novel can be intricate. Safety assessments for plant products must consider diversity in species, varieties, ecotypes, and chemotypes, as cultivation practices influence chemical composition. The article reviews the legislation applicable to botanicals and proposes different ways to evaluate in advance whether a product is “novel” or not, emphasizing the evaluation of the origin and consumption history of foods of plant origin.

Keywords: novel foods; botanicals; European regulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D78 E61 E62 F13 F42 F68 K0 K1 K2 K3 K4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/13/1/10/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/13/1/10/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlawss:v:13:y:2024:i:1:p:10-:d:1340027

Access Statistics for this article

Laws is currently edited by Ms. Heather Liang

More articles in Laws from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().