FSA News Item, 14 November 2003

NOVEL FOODS - 2 Novel food applications to be considered by FSA

Two applications for novel foods have been received by the Food Standards Agency to be assessed by the independent scientific committee, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes.

Before any new food product can be introduced onto the European market it must be rigorously assessed for safety. In the UK the assessment of novel foods is carried out by the ACNFP.

The products are isomaltulose, and lycopene derived from the fungus Blakeslea trispora. Approval is being sought to use isomaltulose as a novel carbohydrate source and to use lycopene, an antioxidant, as a nutritional food ingredient and dietary supplement.

It is proposed that isomaltulose could be used in a wide range of foods, including butter, margarine, cheese, sauces and soups. If approved, lycopene could be added to various products such as soft drinks, cereal bars and energy tablets.

An initial discussion of these applications will take place at the ACNFP's meeting on 20 November 2003. Any comments on these applications should be sent to the ACNFP secretariat by 5 December 2003 and will be passed to the Committee before it finalises its opinion.

More details of the submitted information on the two products can be found on the FSA web-site.