Food Standards Agency
 Printable version
|
 E-mail this to a friend
|
Views wanted on calanus oil
A Norwegian company has applied to the Food Standards Agency for approval to market the oil from a miniature shrimp as a novel food ingredient for use in food supplements. Views are wanted on this application.
The company, Calanus AS, plans to market oil from the miniature shrimp Calanus finmarchicus. The shrimp is one of the most common species of zooplankton found in the North Atlantic Ocean and is able to produce large lipid stores (primarily in the form of wax esters or triglycerides). The applicant intends that the oil will be marketed in the form of food supplements, and it is one of an increasing number of oils rich in the polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid (also known as DHA and EPA).
About novel foods
A novel food is a food or food ingredient that does not have a significant history of consumption within the European Union before 15 May 1997.
Before any new food product can be introduced on the European market, it must be assessed rigorously for safety. In the UK, the assessment of a novel food is carried out by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP).
Deadline for comments
Any comments on this application should be sent to the ACNFP Secretariat at acnfp@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk by Thursday 1 March 2012. The comments will be considered by the committee during its assessment of this novel food ingredient.
