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UK Advisory Body for Novel Food Meets Thursday

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) is to hold an open workshop during the afternoon session of its Thursday (Nov. 25) meeting in London.
During the Thursday morning business session, the committee will consider a hypothetical novel food application for the approval of meat and milk from cloned cattle and their progeny. 
This item, which will also be open for members of the public to attend as observers, will begin at 11.30 a.m.
Members of the public wishing to attend as observers should contact the committee's secretariat.
Participants attending the workshop will be asked to discuss:

• the addition of novel biological active substances to food and food supplements

• the contribution of novel foods to food security and sustainability

• public attitudes to innovations and risk

The committee carries out safety assessments of any novel food or process submitted for approval under the EC novel food regulation. 
Until April 2004 the scope of this regulation included all foods produced using genetically modified organisms.  However, GM foods are now subject to approval under a separate regulation and involve centralized risk assessments, which are the responsibility of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Nevertheless, the committee still has a role in advising the Food Standards Agency on GM foods - for example by contributing to EFSA's risk assessments or by advising the Agency on other GM issues.
The ACNFP is a non-statutory, independent body of scientific experts that advises the Food Standards Agency on any matters relating to novel foods (including genetically modified foods) and novel processes (including food irradiation).

Full post as published by Food Safety News on November 23, 2010 (boomark / email).