On December 18, 2013 the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation on novel foods, which also addresses nanomaterials. A previous attempt to regulate novel foods was made in 2008, but had to be abandoned in 2011 because the European Parliament and the European Council did not reach agreement on cloned meat. The present proposal does not include the cloning of animals. Nanomaterials are defined as ‘engineered nanomaterials’ in accordance with Regulation EU 1169/2011 and shall be assessed and authorized under the proposed regulation before marketing. In the case of adoption, the regulation would repeal Regulation EC 258/97 and Commission Regulation EC 1852/2001. The new regulation does not address the use of nanomaterials in food contact materials, which continue to require individual authorization by the European Commission under regulation EC 10/2011. However, the present regulation forms part of an integrated effort of adapting EU laws to the new challenges posed by the use of engineered nanomaterials.
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European Commission (December 18, 2013). “Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on novel foods.”
