Lion’s mane.
OPINION
A barrier to growth and
innovation?
Is novel foods legislation holding back growth and innovation in the UK’s food to go market asks Richard Horwell, owner of Brand Relations. STEALING A MARCH? The food to go market is by nature dynamic and innovative. In the UK, we want to be able to work with the current consumer trends including an interest in health. However, when it comes to using novel foods, it’s my view that we are being held back. While this is happening here, other countries have quickly moved into pole position. For example, the USA and Canada are finding themselves at the vanguard of a revolution which has resulted in a booming appetite for food products containing novel foods with health benefits. These can include anything from CBD oil, hemp, lion’s mane, turkey tails and monk fruit. And the reason we in the UK are sadly trailing behind in this field is due solely to, in my opinion, the outmoded approach of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) which currently regulates the use of novel foods in this country. This, in turn, is holding back our ability to join the world’s market leaders in the food and beverage industry across the board. So let’s look at what this means for the industry and for sandwiches and other food to go products. WHAT IS THE FSA? The Food Standards Agency is responsible for food safety and hygiene in the UK and works with local 24 I www.sandwichandfoodtogonews.co.uk
Chia seeds
authorities to enforce food safety and it ensures that standards are being met. And while there is no dispute that there needs to be safety measures in this industry, the agency is arguably stuck in the past in connection with this particular issue. Hence, we are in the ridiculous position of being able to buy food supplements from sellers on the internet and consume them to our hearts content, but when it comes to putting the same ingredients in foods, they don’t meet the FSA regulations. WHAT ARE NOVEL FOODS? This is food that hasn’t had a significant history of human consumption, or has been produced by a previously unknown method in the EU before May 15, 1997 when the first regulations for novel foods came into force. We inherited the regulations from the EU with its limitations on what you can and can’t use in food and drink. It was meant to protect consumers from using ingredients in food and drink that could potentially cause harm if its safety is not proven. Recent trends for hemp, CBD and cannabinoids, krill oil, chia seeds, nonifruit juice, baobab and various forms of dried mushroom such as lion’s mane and turkey tails have resulted in an insatiable demand for these perceived healthy plant-based foods. But they
are all currently awaiting the green light from the FSA which presently says these all have to be tested as safe and properly labelled, and cannot be legally sold until authorised. This might make sense if millions of people in the UK weren’t already consuming these products freely in the form of supplements. WHY DO WE WANT NOVEL FOODS ADDED TO OUR FOOD? Convenience is the obvious answer, but since Covid 19 there has been a surge in the demand for healthy food and plant-based products. Post-pandemic consumers are prioritising wellness and looking more towards natural products, and businesses in the food to go sector quite rightly want to be able to satisfy this demand.
