The current Novel Foods Regulation 258/97 requires that all food and food ingredients that have not been used for human consumption in the EU before May 15, 1997 be considered a novel food or a novel food ingredient. The broad scope of what is currently considered a novel food presents challenges for U.S. exporters in determining the legal status of specific substances or ingredients. This report provides an overview of the current novel foods regulatory environment and uses RASFF alerts to construct a negative list of substances and ingredients not authorized under the current novel foods framework.
