CIAA Regrets the Failure to Reach an Agreement on Novel Foods

Regrettably, the current framework creates bottlenecks to innovation, reducing investment in research and development by food and drink manufacturers and slowing novel foods from coming to market.

4/4/2011 --- The CIAA (Confederation of food and drink industries of the EU) acknowledges the EU institutions’ considerable efforts to find a compromise on the Novel Foods Regulation before the 30 March deadline and regrets their failure to reach an agreement.

The revised Novel Foods Regulation would have stimulated innovation in the food and drink industry by simplifying and streamlining the current regulatory framework and facilitating market access for novel foods.

Encouraging innovation is central to ensuring the industry remains competitive and to providing consumers with safe, sound, sustainable and affordable choices. Novel foods often have properties which bring benefits to consumers, for example, by contributing to healthier diets.

Innovation is also invaluable to realising Europe’s vision for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth under the Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative ‘An Innovation Union’.

Regrettably, the current framework creates bottlenecks to innovation, reducing investment in research and development by food and drink manufacturers and slowing novel foods from coming to market.

In comparison, the new Regulation would have accelerated and centralised the authorisation process. It also would have introduced a definition for engineered nanomaterials, providing manufacturers with greater legal certainty.

Speaking on behalf of the CIAA, President Jesús Serafín Pérez commented: “The CIAA regrets the failure to reach an agreement on the Novel Foods Regulation. It would have encouraged innovation in the food and drink industry, engendering greater consumer choice and facilitating market access for novel foods. This impacts on Europe’s 500 million consumers and Europe’s largest manufacturing sector, made up of 288,000 companies, 99.1% of which are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).”