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ATOVA's April Newsletter!

  • Writer: Atova
    Atova
  • May 7
  • 11 min read

✨ Welcome to the April 2026 edition of the Atova Newsletter! As spring continues to unfold, we’re excited to keep exploring the dynamic global landscape of novel food regulation. Thank you for being an important part of our community, and we look forward to sharing more insights and guidance to help you stay informed throughout 2026. 🌱



We’re excited to share the latest news from Atova! This month our team had the chance to reconnect in person in Barcelona and align on what’s shaping up to be a busy and exciting period ahead.

 

Navigating Novel Foods: EU Dossier Masterclass – Part One (27 May 2026 15:00 CEST)

Coming up this month is the launch of our Navigating Novel Foods webinar series. We only have a handful of places left, so don’t miss out on your chance to join us for part one of our EU Dossier Masterclass as we lay the foundations of what it takes to create a robust, compliant, and EFSA-ready submission. Whether you are in the early stages or refining your approach, you’ll walk away from our webinar with practical insights that you can apply immediately. Find out more and sign up here.




Article on bridging gaps between scientific research and regulatory decision making in Europe

Hannah Lester and Fernando Rivero Pino have collaborated on a paper in Frontiers in Toxicology. This paper titled ‘Bridging gaps between scientific research and regulatory decision-making in Europe: roles of academia, risk assessors, and policymakers’, dives into exploring the disconnection between scientific research, regulatory agencies, and policymakers, highlighting the distinct and independent roles they play. The paper advocates for a collaborative approach to enhance the reliability and relevance of published research when guiding evidence-based policy and regulation. We are proud at Atova to be helping to advance regulatory science and inform future risk assessment. Read this article in full here.


Where are the Atova team heading to next?

May is shaping up to be an exciting and busy month for the team at Atova. On 12th May, Hannah Lester will be speaking at the European BioSolutions Coalition in Brussels, while on the same day, Fernando Rivero Pino will deliver a lecture on food regulation in the Master’s in Gastronomic Sciences and Food Fermentation at the Basque Culinary Centre in San Sebastián. Fernando will then be going to the AESAN Conference in Madrid later in the month, on the 21-22nd May. Rounding off a busy schedule, Caroline Idowu will attend the Food 4 Future conference at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre from 26th-28th May. It is certainly a full schedule for Team Atova, and we would be delighted to connect with any of you who will also be attending these events along the way.



EFSA Updates

 

Novel Food Dossier and Traditional Food Notifications Received

There were seven novel food dossiers and traditional food notifications submitted to EFSA in April and the start of May.

 

Validated Dossiers

There were two validated dossiers published on Open EFSA in April.

Name of Product

Dossier Received by EFSA

Declared Valid

Time until Validation

Application for a modification of the authorised 2’-Fucosyllactose (2’-FL) as a novel food

17/12/2025

23/04/2026

4.5 months

Application for authorisation of Coffee fruit extract as a novel food

16/12/2025

07/04/2026

4 months


Dossiers Considered Non-valid and Withdrawn

There were five dossiers considered non-valid due to non-compliance with the Transparency Regulation and the notification of studies or withdrawn during April. 


EFSA Public Consultations

There were five novel food public consultations that had deadlines in April, which had no comments received. There is also one novel food public consultation with a deadline in May.

 

There are also four other public consultations with deadlines that were due in April and May. These are:

 

EFSA Working Group Meeting

The minutes of the 176th working group meeting on novel foods are now available online. This meeting by the Scientific Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens, which was held on 18-25th March, discussed fourteen draft opinions including Microbial protein-rich powder from Xanthobacter sp. SoF1, mycelium from oyster mushroom, and duck cells from cell culture. Read in full here.

 

The minutes from the 167th Panel Plenary meeting of the Scientific Panel on Nutrition, Novel foods and Food Allergens are now available online. This meeting was held on the 17th April, where the draft opinions of DHA-rich oil from Schizochytrium sp. A2, Cannabidiol Isolate, and Nonapeptide and Pentapeptide mixture were all reviewed by the panel for scientific opinion. The minutes are available here. The next meeting will be held on 27-28th May 2026 in Madrid.

 

EFSA New Guidance Documents Catalogue Update

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has introduced a revamped guidance document catalogue aimed at improving transparency, accessibility and usability. This update has overhauled how guidance documents are described, stored, and accessed, making it easier for users to locate, find and understand relevant information. It also established five key categories of EFSA guidance to help provide greater clarity, including the guidance purpose, content, applicability, degree of obligation, and who adopts them. In addition, EFSA has implemented a new standardised process designed to improve traceability and predictability for users navigating its guidance framework. For more details, read the full update here.

 

EFSA Workshop on Protein Safety Assessments in food and feed – Alternative methods and approaches

This EFSA workshop reviewed EFSA’s scientific opinion from 2025 on the safety of newly expressed proteins (NEPs) and gathered multi-stakeholder feedback on alternative, proportionate methods for food and feed risk assessment. The workshop concluded with a call for proof-of-concept case studies, clearer acceptance criteria, and a desire for sustained regulator-stakeholder collaboration. Read more here.

 


European Commission updates

 

Article 4 Novel Food Consultations

There have been four Article 4 novel food consultations published during April.

 

This consultation concerns the leaves and bulbs of the plant species Allium roseum L. (pink garlic) as an ingredient in different food matrices.

✅ Conclusion: Not novel food - Evidence of significant consumption before 15 May 1997 of both the bulbs and leaves of the plant species.

 

This application relates to the leaves, stems and seeds of the plant species Diplotaxis tenuifolia L. (wild arugula) as ingredients in different food matrices.

✅ Conclusion: Leaves and Stems - Are not novel due to significant historical consumption of both leaves and stems in both France and Italy.

Seeds - Are considered not novel only in food supplements, due to information providing only a history of the seeds consumption in food supplements prior to 15 May 1997.

 

This opinion was sought for the leaves of the plant species Hyoseris radiata L. (Cerrajila), this is also called ‘cuscullera’, and is for use as ingredients in different food matrices.

✅ Conclusion: Not novel - The applicant submitted evidence of significant consumption of the leaves of this plant species before 15 May 1997.

 

A consultation for the novel food status of Lagundi (Vitex negundo Linn.) was submitted to the French Ministry of Agriculture Food Sovereignty, General Directorate of Food.

❌ Conclusion: Novel Food - From the data provided in the dossier Lagundi was not consumed before 15 May 1997 to a significant degree by the general EU population. Therefore, food or food supplements containing this plant are considered novel.

 

 

Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed Meetings 

 

Novel Food and Toxicology Safety of the Food Chain

The Novel Food and Toxicological Safety of the Food Chain meeting was held on 14th April 2026, the minutes are not currently available, but the agenda is available here. The next meeting is due to be held on 13th May with drafts to be discussed including maximum levels of mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons in food, methods of sampling and analysis for the control of levels of mineral oil hydrocarbons in foodstuffs, conditions of use of the novel food galacto-oligosaccharide, the placing on the market of egg membrane hydrolysate (enzymatically produced) as a novel food, and placing on the market of Rhizomucor pusillus mycelium as a novel food. The full agenda is available here.

 

Genetically Modified Food and Feed

The agenda from the Meeting held on 27th April is available to view online. This meeting included discussions on genetically modified maize DP202216 x NK603 x DAS-40278-9, genetically modified soybean MON 87705, genetically modified maize NK603 x T25, and genetically modified cottons. Read the agenda here.

 

EU Council New Rules of Genomic Techniques

The EU Council has approved new rules on genomic techniques, establishing a framework aimed at supporting a more sustainable and competitive EU agrifood sector. This step is the latest in a process that has been ongoing since the Commissions 2023 proposals. The regulation is now pending formal adoption by the European Parliament before implementation, with most provisions expected to take effect from mid 2028 after a two-year transition period. The regulation sets to introduce a two-tier system which classifies plants as either NGT-1 or NGT-2. Plants classified as NGT-1 are those considered equivalent to conventionally bred varieties, which will follow a simplified regulatory pathway and will not require labelling apart from seeds and other reproductive material. Those classified as NGT-2 involve more complex modifications and will remain subject to existing GMO legislation, including labelling and authorisation requirements. When it comes to intellectual property for NGT-1 a patent transparency measure will be adopted requiring developers to disclose relevant patents in a public database, monitored by an expert group. For those companies with NGT products in development or in the pipeline for the EU market, this two-year transition period offers a window to determine product teir classification and start planning for the labelling, authorisation and patent disclosure requirements. Find out more about this regulation here.


FSA Board Meeting 

You can now watch the latest Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board Meeting here. The next FSA Board meeting is due to be held on 17 June 2026, there is currently no agenda available. 

 

Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP)

The agenda from the 176th meeting of the ACNFP is available to see online. There are no minutes from this meeting, held on the 23rd April, available yet. Read the agenda here.

 

UK/EU SPS Agreement

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published an update outlining its work to support the UK Government’s preparations for a potential UK–EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement. As part of this process, the FSA is providing independent, evidence-based advice to help safeguard public health and protect consumer interests in any future arrangements. The paper highlights the preparatory activity already underway, along with key areas of risk being assessed. Atova is here to support your organisation at every stage, helping to shape your regulatory strategy, prepare submissions to the EU, and ensure full compliance with EU Transparency Regulation requirements, including the notification of studies. You can read more about this update here.

 

Future of Food Regulation Programme

The FSA have released a report setting out the work undertaken to establish the Future pf Food Regulation programme, outlining the changing context for food regulation and proposed regulatory approach. The report continues to outline the potential risks, opportunities and questions to work through. Read more about this programme here.



US-GRAS Updates

There have been thirteen GRN’s posted on the inventory in April.

 

State-level Action on Cultivated Meat

Following recent state-level action on cultivated meat, including South Dakota’s adoption of a five-year moratorium after Governor Larry Rhoden vetoed a permanent ban, and the Eleventh Circuit’s decision allowing Florida’s cultivated meat ban to remain in force during litigation, additional U.S. states continue to advance restrictions targeting cultivated meat.

On 6th April , Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed HB 322 into law, prohibiting products from being marketed as “meat” unless labels clearly disclose when they are derived from “manufactured-protein food products.” While the measure does not ban cultivated or alternative proteins, products containing cultivated, plant-, fungi-, or insect-derived proteins that are marketed using meat terminology without a conspicuous qualifying statement will be considered misbranded.


Mississippi also expanded its regulation of cell-cultured foods through HB 1153, which will take effect on 1st July . The law prohibits the manufacture and sale of cell-cultured dairy products in the state and introduces additional labelling restrictions for alternative protein products using traditional meat terminology without clear qualifying disclosures. The legislation follows Mississippi’s 2025 ban on the sale of cultivated meat products.

 

Congress FDA Bills

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Subcommittee on Health is set to review potential changes to FDA regulation and oversight of foods, supplements, and related products, focusing on priorities tied to the Make America Healthy Again movement. A key issue will be whether federal rules should override stricter state food safety laws, a major concern for industry groups. The discussion comes as Congress and the administration continue shaping legislation and regulations affecting the food and dietary supplement sectors.

 

New York Senate Bill on GRAS

This bill enacts the “food safety and chemical disclosure act” which prohibits the use of certain food additives and colorings and requires companies to disclose their GRAS food ingredients to the public. Read more about the bill here.


Singapore

Congratulations to our friends at PARIMA who secured their second novel food approval from the Singapore Food Agency for their cultivated duck, becoming the first company to secure approval for two species. Find out more about this milestone here.

 

India

The List of Applications Approved/Rejected/Closed/Withdrawn/Status under the Food Safety Standards has been updated. Read this on the FSSAI website in full here.

 

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

At a side event held during the 56th session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA56) in Chongqing, participants discussed their experiences and approaches to risk analysis. This event brought together contributions from FAO, WHO, Australia, The European Commission and stakeholders as they reflected on a range of technical and regulatory perspectives. The session illustrated how different jurisdictions are engaging with regulatory developments by using existing regulatory frameworks and, in some cases, with targeted adaptations. The session underscored the importance of clear risk communication and ongoing international dialogue with platforms such as Codex and FAO playing a central role in fostering a shared understanding. Read more about the discussion here.


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