15/04/13

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) is soliciting opinions on an application made by DSM to widen the use of two algal oils under the Novel Food Regulation (EC) No. 258/97.

The two applications are to extend the use of two algal oils, which are both a source of omega-3 fatty acids and extracted from two different strains of Schizochytrium microalgae: a docosahexaenoic acid-rich algal oil ('DHA-rich') and an eicosapentaenoic acid-rich oil ('EPA-rich').

Extending the use of both oils in this way will not lead to people consuming them at levels that are more than the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) tolerable upper intake level of EPA and DHA of 5g per day, said the FSA. These levels were set by EFSA in June 2012.

DSM Nutritional Products is seeking to align the authorised uses of the two oils, and use them in food supplements for doses of up to 3g per day.

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 an independent committee of scientists appointed by the Food Standards Agency, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP).