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Review
. 2025 Jul 1;9(1):117.
doi: 10.1038/s41538-025-00492-x.

The novel food evaluation process delays access to food innovation in the European Union

Jérôme Le Bloch #  1 , Marie Rouault #  2 , Cédric Langhi  2 , Malorie Hignard  2 , Victoria Iriantsoa  2 , Olivier Michelet  2
Affiliations
Review

The novel food evaluation process delays access to food innovation in the European Union

Jérôme Le Bloch et al. NPJ Sci Food. .

Abstract

This article analyzes the timelines of 292 novel food (NF) applications submitted to EFSA between 2018 and 2024 under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The average duration from submission to publication was 2.56 ± 1.19 years, with significant variability, and delays due to suitability checks and additional data requests. Improved guidelines and pre-submission support could streamline the process, fostering innovation and timely market access for NFs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: All authors are employed of FoodChain ID, a consulting company managing new ingredient authorization in Europe and in the U.S. on behalf of its clients.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The different stages of the NF procedure and the calculated timelines.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Status on October 4th, 2024, of the 292 applications evaluated per year of submission.
The date of submission is not available for four applications currently under EFSA evaluation. For some dossiers, the submission year was not available, the submission date was then estimated based on the EFSA question number and NF dossier number.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Analysed timelines of NF applications in Europe, from submission to the publication of EFSA opinion. Numbers represent mean ± SD.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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