Food Safety Requirements for Novel Foods

While new food products hit the retail shelves weekly, most of these foods do not fall under the definition of “novel foods”. Only foods for which it is unclear whether their consumption would present any risk for human health, are defined as novel foods in legislation. Even though there are some differences in regulatory measures across the world, different countries require these novel foods or novel food ingredients to undergo a premarket authorization. Key in such authorizations is that either the product can be compared to existing alternatives, or it needs to undergo a full safety assessment to identify its allergenic potential, toxicity or any antinutritional factors. Next to describing definitions and regulatory procedures, this chapter provides insights into the safety assessment requirements and steps for novel foods.