The remit of the task force is to review how novel foods, novel food ingredients and new processing techniques should be evaluated scientifically from safety and nutritional viewpoints. Due to its work on food biotechnology, the task force gained substantial knowledge in assessing the safety and nutrition of novel foods. This knowledge was broadened in recent years due to various networking activities and the project on the safety assessment of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in food. As this project is drawing to a close, the task force is considering a new activity to look at the methodology on how risk assessment for novel foods could be done taking into account developments in new technologies.

 

Previously, the task force focused its work on food biotechnology and produced numerous publications on this topic before extending its remit to the safety assessment of novel foods in general. The publications on post-market monitoring and the history of safe use are widely cited and presented at international conferences.

 

 

Innovation in the food industry to define and discover new and novel foods and ingredients uses modern techniques, state of the art analytics, and evaluation methods. The trend is toward “animal free” sources, sustainable development, and meeting demands for appreciating ethical aspects of the food chain. Regulations in Europe have mandated that cosmetics and their ingredients shall not be tested in animals. It is to recognise that efforts are also being made in other major industries to apply the so called “3Rs Principles”, which means to reduce the number of animals used for safety testing, refine existing testing methods, and replace animal testing as soon as possible. This new horizon is already affecting the food industry.

 

In response to the overall support for implementation of the 3R’s (Refinement, Reduction, and Replacement) and regulatory prohibition of animal testing in some sectors, world-wide efforts are in progress to find new methods and approaches to test for hazards and support safety with using as few animals as possible. These new approaches are further driven by the recognition that current toxicological methods should be more predictive for human safety.

 

The outcomes of this activity will aim to:

 

This expert group produced a manuscript on the scientific risk assessment of nanomaterials that was presented and discussed at a workshop in Cascais (13-15 April 2011), Portugal. Successively, the final version of the manuscript was submitted and accepted in Food and Chemical Toxicology as: ‘Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in food: guidance for their safety assessment’. This paper consists of the following main chapters: the fate of nanomaterials in the body, a strategy for safety assessment, and a tiered approach for use in the safety assessment of ENMs.

 

Dr. Susan Wijnhoven presented the work of this expert group at Eurotox 2011.

 

 

The work of the expert group was presented to a broader audience at a workshop, which took place on 13 – 15 April 2011 in Cascais, Portugal. This 3-day workshop provided a good platform to discuss and review the draft guidance document with experts from academia and industry, national authorities and representatives from the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority.

 

The workshop consisted of plenary sessions and discussions in working groups focusing on the following topics: 

The main outcome of the workshop was that the presented approach was confirmed as appropriate. A workshop summary report will be published in the ILSI Europe Report Series.

  

 

* Scientific Advisor

 

 

 

* Observer in the expert group as member of the European Food Safety Authority until Nov. 2011

After completion of its activities and publication of the results, this expert group was disbanded on November 2011.

 

P. Hepburn, J. Howlett et al. The Application of Post-Market Monitoring to Novel Foods. Food and Chemical Toxicology 2008;46:9-33.

A. Constable, D. Jonas et al. History of Safe Use as Applied to the Safety Assessment of Novel Foods and Foods Derived from Genetically Modified Organisms. Food and Chemical Toxicology 2007;45:2513-2525. This article has been translated in Portuguese by ILSI Brazil.

J. Howlett, D.G. Edwards et al. The Safety Assessment of Novel Foods and Concepts to Determine their Safety in Use. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 2003;54:1-32. Also published in the ILSI Europe Report Series 2003:1-43.

C. Robinson. Genetic Modification Technology and Food: Consumer Health and Safety. ILSI Europe Concise Monograph Series 2002:1-45.

 

E. Anklam and D.A. Neumann. Method Development in Relation to Regulatory Requirements for the Detection of GMOs in the Food Chain. ILSI Europe Report Series 2001:1-26. (Report)

 

D. Jonas, I. Elmadfa, K.-H Engel et al. Safety Considerations of DNA in Food. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 2001;45:235-254. Also published in the ILSI Europe Report Series 2002:1-36.

 

G. Livesey, D. Buss, P. Coussement et al. Suitability of Traditional Energy Values for Novel Foods and Food Ingredients. Food Control 2000;11(4):249-289.

 

D. Jonas. Safety Assessment of Viable Genetically Modified Micro-organisms Used in Food. Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease 1999;11:198-207

 

M. Grasserbauer et al., Editors. Detection Methods for Novel Foods Derived from Genetically Modified Organisms. Food Control 1999;10(6):339-414. (Proceedings)

 

H. Kuiper. Detection Methods for Novel Foods Derived from Genetically Modified Organisms. ILSI Europe Report Series 1999:1-24. (Report)

 

D. Madden. Food Biotechnology - An Introduction. ILSI Europe Concise Monograph Series 1995:1-37.

 

For more information, please contact: info@ilsieurope.be