Novel foods. Two words we
are
as
hearing
the
more
CBD
realms
about
edge
closer to regulation this year.
But
what
does
the
term
really mean? For businesses
and consumers
these 10
a
whole
alike,
letters mean
lot hoop
of
jumping and box ticking.
What is a novel food?
Anything in the food chain now
which was not widely consumed
by people in the European Union
before May 15, 1997. This means
novel foods don’t have a ‘history
of consumption’, or in other
words, were late to the plate. Food,
ingredients, additives, flavourings
and supplements are all under the
microscope of the Novel Foods Act.
None more so this year than CBD.
In January 2019, the European
Commission added CBD to the
Novel Food Catalogue creating
sheer panic among budding CBD
businesses and high street retailers
who had just introduced the
cannabis extract to their shelves.
The catalogue is comprised of a long
list of food components deemed
to be new, poorly researched
and (you guessed it)
novel. You see, when
something like CBD
comes along, the
powers-that-be
need to see proof
that no harm is going to
come to someone who buys
a product in store or online. Equally
as signifi cant is the investigation
to evaluate the presence of any
health benef its. So this process, as
f rustrating and costly as it may
be for the people making the
products, is essential if we want to
keep buying better end products.
While this catalogue entry needed
to be taken seriously by regulators
and manufacturers, it’s not legally
binding.
Shortly after the Commission’s
announcement last year, the Food
Standards Agency in the UK (FSA)
conf irmed that it would follow the
lead of the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) in designating food
and drinks containing CBD as novel.
This meant that any ‘ingestibles’
containing CBD – f rom gummies to
tinctures – would require extensive
safety testing in order to gain
premarket authorisation to be sold
in the UK.
In January this year, the FSA said that
it was looking to ensure that CBD
products already on the market
‘move towards compliance,’
but said it was not, at
that time, launching
enforcement action.
That all changed
in February, when
the FSA announced
a deadline of 2021
by which every brand
making CBD food or drink items
for sale in the UK has to submit an
application for validation.
Now, we wait. One thing is certain,
CBD is a novel food in the eyes of UK
authorities, and products have to
pass a standard before they’re safe
for consumption, just like any other
type of food. beverages or herbal
remedy.
CBD isn’t the only novel
food out there. You might
even have a few in your
cupboard.
CHIA SEEDS
Thanks to Instagram-worthy overnight oats,
the chia seed industry has been a booming
business since 2016. But these tiny little
seeds, rich in the B vitamins, thiamin and
niacin plus many essential minerals, were
only approved for sale by the EU in 2009.
CREATINE
Used by athletes and heavy lifters. Creatine
helps muscles to produce energy during
heavy lifting or high intensity exercise.
ECHINACEA
According to the authorities, this herbal
remedy for the common cold or fl u can
only be used in supplement form. So you
won’t be seeing echinacea-fl avoured cereal
anytime soon.
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