FSA News Item, 25 July 2006

NOVEL FOODS - Views sought on noni juice opinion

The expert scientific committee that advises the Agency on novel foods is calling for comments on its draft opinion of a noni juice product.

Leap of Faith Farms wishes to market its noni juice obtained from noni fruit grown in Panama in four forms: pure fresh juice, fresh juice with 3-15% other fruit juices, fresh juice concentrated and frozen (for transport and subsequent reconstituting), and dried fresh juice (for transport and subsequent reconstituting). All of these would be sold as ingredients for a pasteurised fruit drink.

The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) has recommended that this noni juice product is 'substantially equivalent' to a previously approved product and so can go on sale in the EU.

Comments

Any comments should be sent to the ACNFP Secretariat by 3 August and will be passed to the Committee for consideration.

About noni juice

Noni juice comes from the fruit of Morinda citrifolia L. commonly known as 'noni' but also as 'Indian mulberry' or 'nonu'. An application for noni juice, made under the Novel Foods Regulation (EC) 258/97, was approved on 5 June 2003 . This approval applies to the applicant company only but Regulation (EC) 258/97 makes provision for novel foods or ingredients that are substantially equivalent to an existing product to be placed on the market once the applicant has informed the European Commission.