Guidance on using the Register of Novel Food Authorisations

Introduction

From 1 April 2025, The Food and Feed (Regulated Products) (Amendment, Revocation, Consequential and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2025 means that authorisations now come into effect following ministerial decision and are published in the register, rather than statutory instrument. The FSA and FSS registers are the primary source of information on the regulated products authorised for market in Great Britain (GB). This online register is the domestic list referred to in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470 . It sets out the list of Novel Foods that are authorised and permitted for use in GB, and provides details for each on the:

conditions of use
labelling requirements
date of authorisation
relevant legislation

Any novel foods that were authorised prior to EU exit are retained in UK law and are included in the register.

Further information and guidance on authorisation routes is available on our novel food authorisation guidance page.

Understanding the register fields

Each product entry on the register includes its name, along with the:

Definition/Description: Provides details of what the novel food is
Authorised novel ID: A unique reference code for the product e.g., NOVEL-1
Specification: Users should check the full product specification, this is available via the available link to the implementing regulations
Status: the status of the authorisation, for example authorised or revoked, and any accompanying notes.
Traditional food: whether a decision has been made that the novel food meets the definition of a traditional food
Conditions under which the novel food may be used: Details of how the novel food can be used, that are covered in the authorisation, including maximum levels
Additional specific labelling requirements: Details of any additional labelling requirements of the novel food
Other requirements: e.g., data protection/confidentiality requests (this shows if data protection measures are in place)
Data Protection: Unless data protection measures limit the placement on the market of a novel food to a particular Food Business Operator (FBO), any FBO can sell an authorised novel food in accordance with the conditions set out in the register. The register highlights where data protection is in place.
Link to legislation: A link to any relevant legislation for additional information. This legislation or parts of it may have been revoked by The Food and Feed (Regulated Products) (Amendment, Revocation, Consequential and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2025, but the authorisations themselves are preserved.
Last updated: A summary of the most recent update. This register became the official public register of authorised flavourings on 1 April 2025, so this date will appear unless an authorisation has been updated more recently.
Transitional provisions: Where a change has been made, any measures to enable a transition to the new conditions of use

Search

The register enables a free-text search of entries. Entries can also be filtered by authorisation status, traditional food status and nation(s) of authorisation.