About: novel food
EU gives green light to bloc’s first edible insect
Dried yellow mealworms are the first insect food to receive the go-ahead for marketing authorisation in the EU after a favourable opinion from member states.
Grub’s up: Insects could soon be on the menu after EFSA green light
Mealworms are safe for human consumption according to a new opinion by the EU Food Safety Agency (EFSA), paving the way for the first EU-wide approval.
Eating crickets is good for you, study finds
Eating crickets help support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, is not only safe at high doses but may also reduce inflammation in the body, a new study finds. For consumers in North America and Europe, crickets and other edible insects are currently getting popular, a trend the EU’s new Novel Food Regulation may significantly strengthen.
EU unblocks novel foods entry into European market
EU Agriculture Ministers and the European Parliament put an end on Monday (16 November) to an eight-year-long deadlock on novel foods, adopting a new regulation that is expected to help the innovation-driven products enter the EU market.
Parliament vote on novel foods heats up cloned animals debate
The European Parliament made it easier for 'novel foods' to enter the EU market last week (28 October). But all matters relating to cloned animals have been added to another legislative proposal, heating up debate on the issue.
Food industry innovation increases challenges for risk assessment
While the European Commission wants the food industry to become more innovative and create jobs in Europe, the analysis of the risk factors also has to evolve, says the EU's food safety agency. EURACTIV reports from Expo Milano 2015.
Parliament demands moratorium on cloned animal products
MEPs have taken a harder line than the one proposed by the Commission on cloned animals, refusing to authorise food products from clones and their descendants. EURACTIV France reports.
Goyens: EU law on animal cloning ‘falls short of consumers expectations’
Food from cloned animals has ‘novel food’ status at EU level, and requires approval before being allowed onto the market. But the EU legislation needs to be more transparent by covering also food from the descendants of clones, with a traceability system for imports of cloned animals embryos and semen, says Monique Goyens.
Parliament makes ‘final offer’ on novel foods, cloning
European Parliament negotiators have tabled what they described as their “final offer” on the EU’s proposed Novel Foods regulation, warning they will not compromise any further with EU member states.
EU citizens should eat more insects, says industry
The mealworm, silkworms, the housefly and the black soldier fly are some of the insects Europeans should have as a natural part of their diet in the future as they are a good source for protein, says the insects sector.
Commission sent back to drawing board on novel foods law
The European Parliament's environment committee voted on Monday (24 November) to revise EU rules on novel foods, backing a precautionary approach to new techniques like nanoparticles.
‘Novel foods’ regulation returns to the EU’s agenda
The European Commission and Parliament are renewing their attempt to update the EU's regulation on novel foods, which was rejected three years ago over ethical and safety concerns related to animal cloning for food production.
EU cloning ban dispute turns to trade, consumers
A ban on food products coming from the offspring of cloned animals would be compatible with WTO rules, argued a key lawmaker in the European Parliament, who accuses EU countries of scaremongering over a potential trade war with the US.
Novel foods review stumbles over cloning
Last-chance conciliation talks on a review of the EU's novel foods regulation collapsed early this morning after officials failed to agree on the use of cloned animals' offspring for food production.
EU novel food regulation review at risk
As talks between the European Parliament and the European Commission to update an EU regulation on novel foods stumble on cloning, the institutions have now two more weeks to find a compromise agreement before the whole review fails on 30 March.
Parliament calls for EU ban on cloning for food
The European Parliament reiterated its opposition to meat and milk produced from cloned animals yesterday (7 July), piling pressure on the European Commission to ban food produced in this way.
EU food safety watchdog backs piecemeal approach to nanotech risk assessment
Existing toxicity testing approaches can be used for case-by-case risk assessment of nanomaterials in food, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which says there is limited data available on oral exposure to nanoparticles.
MEPs: Safety, ethics outweigh innovation on novel foods
The main focus of Commission proposals to revise the bloc's market approval process for novel foods is wrong as the plans put more emphasis on innovation and simplified market access than consumer protection, MEPs argued in a debate on 14 July.
EU ethics group advises against cloning animals for food
In a recent opinion, the European Group on Ethics for science and new technologies did not find any argument to justify the production of food from clones and their offspring. Instead, it recommends promoting public debates on the impact of cloning farm animals on agriculture, the environment and society at large.