Jessica Burt, food regulatory lawyer at Mills & Reeve, looked at the next steps for novel foods in the UK at Westminster Food & Nutrition Forum Policy Conference that was held on 27 November. Jessica was a panellist at the Westminster Food & Nutrition Forum alongside representatives from industry, government, academia and regulatory bodies, including NFX UK.
Key areas that were discussed were as follows:
Considerations for authorisation reform, funding mechanisms and novel foods regulation implications of the FSA’s Regulated Products Reform Programme and transition to a public register, removal of 10-year renewal requirements, options for faster approvals and maintaining regulatory confidence, regulatory sandbox for cell-cultivated products, clarity of scope and adapting the model to other categories. Also discussed was roles and coordination across the FSA, FSS and the RIO, aligning the Innovation and Regulation Plan with public health oversight, ministerial decisions on CBD novel foods, expectations for advisory committees and stakeholder input, impact of increased regulatory and R&D funding under the Industrial Strategy and coordination with the Novel Foods Expert Network and gene-edited research grants. In addition to a consideration of evidentiary standards, transparency and practical implementation in authorisations and discussing why collective action is essential for advancing novel food innovation and regulation.
The firm will continue to play a role at the Westminster Forum.
Our content explained
Every piece of content we create is correct on the date it’s published but please don’t rely on it as legal advice. If you’d like to speak to us about your own legal requirements, please contact one of our expert lawyers.