FSA Receives Novel Food Application on Omega 3 Rich Refined Oil

06 Dec 2013 --- The UK Food Standards Agency's (FSA) independent expert Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes has considered an application from a US company for approval to market a refined oil as a novel food ingredient.

Views are wanted on the committee’s draft opinion that this novel food ingredient should be approved for use. The oil is from a plant known as Buglossoides arvensis.
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The company, Technology Crops International, plans to include refined oil from Bugglossoides arvensis seeds in a range of foods, including:
• dairy products
• breakfast cereals
• food supplements

The applicant states that this refined oil is a rich source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The applicant mentions in its application, which can be found via the link towards the end of this page, that the oil could be consumed by people looking to increase their intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, who are unwilling or unable to consume fish oils. This might include vegetarians, for example.

A novel food is a food or food ingredient that does not have a significant history of consumption within the European Union before 15 May 1997.

Before any new food product can be introduced on the European market it must be rigorously assessed for safety. In the UK, the assessment of novel foods is carried out by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, an independent committee of scientists appointed by the FSA.

Any comments on this draft opinion should be emailed to the ACNFP Secretariat at ACNFP@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk by Sunday 15 December 2013.