FSA News Item, 8 September 2004

NOVEL FOODS - Views wanted on lycopene application

The Agency has received an application to approve a lycopene-rich tomato extract as a novel food ingredient.

The extract is a lycopene oleoresin produced from red ripe, lycopene-rich tomatoes with antioxidant properties. It is currently marketed as an ingredient in food supplements and as a food colour (E160d) within the European Union. A food is regarded as 'novel' if it has no significant history of consumption or use within the European Union.

LycoRed Natural Products Industries wants to market its lycopene oleoresin for use as a novel food ingredient in a range of food products, including yoghurts, cheese, bread, sausages and cereal bars, at a level of 5 mg of lycopene per serving.

Before any new food product can be introduced on the European market it must be rigorously assessed for safety. In the UK, the assessment of novel foods is carried out by an independent committee of scientists appointed by the Food Standards Agency, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP).

Any comments on this application should be sent to the ACNFP Secretariat by 29 September 2004 and will be passed to the Committee before it finalises its opinion on this novel food ingredient.

Full details of the application can be found on the FSA web site at: Lycopene-rich tomato extract