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ATOVA´s August 2025 Newsletter! ☀️

  • Writer: Atova
    Atova
  • Sep 1
  • 9 min read

Updated: 4 days ago


Welcome to the August edition of the Atova Newsletter! We’re grateful to have you with us as we continue exploring the shifting world of food and regulatory innovation.  In this issue, we take a closer look at the latest developments in novel food regulations across the globe. 🌍 


With best wishes

The Atova team 💚🌱

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🚨 Early Bird Ticket Sale Ends on 12th September - Save €200


The Regulating the Future of Food Conference is just around the corner! 🌍 Join us, along with global experts and industry leaders on 29–30 October at the RAI Amsterdam.  

 

Hear from the leaders in food regulation and hear from pioneering companies such as MicroHarvest, Corbion, Solar Foods, Nestlé,  Cargill, and  The Protein Brewery as they discuss their experience with novel food approval. Also, don’t miss your chance to gain insights directly from the regulators themselves — including the  EFSA, FSA, European Commission,  Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). 


Book your place here.

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Regulating the Future of Food is kindly sponsored by Labcorp, Vow and Meatable.

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NFX Launch Conference

On the 10th September Sarah will be heading to the NFX Launch Conference in London. This event will bring together regulators, food innovators, investors, policy makers and researchers for a day of presentations and panel discussions. As a partner of NFX we are excited to attend this official launch event. Find out more about NFX here.


Future Food-tech London

In a few weeks some of our team will be heading to Future Food-Tech London. We are proud to be partnering with this event that will bring together industry pioneers, investors and experts in shaping the future of food. If you are heading to the event on the 24-25th September, we would love to connect with you there.  

 

Haven’t booked your tickets yet? Reach out to us at info@atovaconsulting.com and we can give you our exclusive discount code for the event. See you in London!


EPIC SHIFT Survey

Are you developing or have you submitted a dossier for EU Novel Food authorisation? If so, we want to hear from you!


As part of the EU-funded Horizon project EPIC-SHIFT, we are conducting surveys to understand how current EU regulations impact the entry of novel food products into the European market. We are also looking to understand how regulatory requirements:

  • Influence access to funding and investor confidence

  • Shape business planning and product development strategies

  • Affect the choice of target markets and launch timelines

We’re looking for a final few companies to share their insights. Interviews will close by end of September, so don’t miss this opportunity to contribute!


Interested? Contact us at info@atovaconsulting.com for more information.


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Here we let you know the latest European updates from August 2025, with data retrieved from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Commission (EC).  

 

Recent Novel Food Dossier and Traditional Food Notifications Received by EFSA

During August, seven novel food dossier submissions were published on Open EFSA. 


EFSA Validated Dossiers

There were two EFSA novel food dossiers validated by EFSA in August.

Name of Product

Dossier Received by EFSA

Validated

Output Published

Time to Output Published

Application for authorisation of 2’-Fucosyllactose (2’-FL) as a novel food

16/10/2023

19/01/2024

13/08/2025

22.5 months

Application for authorization of Synthetic kynurenic acid as a novel food

12/01/2023

08/11/2023

29/08/2025

31.5 months

EFSA Public Consultations

There have been four novel food public consultations completed in August:


EFSA Working Group Meeting

The 160th Panel Plenary Meeting agenda for the meeting held on 27th August 2025, is now available to view. Draft opinions on the agenda for discussion are Beta-glucans from oats and barley and reduction of post-prandial glycaemic responses, Calcium sulfate (E516) and reduction in body weight, Rapeseed protein-fibre concentrate, safety of modification of use of Chuta, and the safety of the extension of use of pasteurised Akkermansia muciniphila. Read the full agenda here. 

 

EFSA workshop on protein safety predictions and speed in risk assessment

EFSA is holding an event on 12-13 November 2025 for stakeholders on protein safety predictions and the acceleration of risk assessment processes. This event aims to raise awareness and determine recommendations and implementation needs in relation to protein safety assessments. A provisional agenda and registration will be available in the coming weeks.

 

EFSA webinar on adopted scientific opinion on protein safety assessment in genetically modified plants

Registration is open for EFSA’s webinar by the Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Panel) on the scientific opinion on the safety assessment of proteins in genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This webinar will present the adopted scientific opinion, its key elements and identification of potential opportunities and challenges whilst identifying any remaining gaps and possible areas for development. The webinar will be held on 16th September at 14:00 (CEST) and registration closes on 11th September. To book your place and for more information, click here.

 

EFSA scientific report on dietary exposure to lead in the European population

Following a request by the European Commission EFSA has completed an estimate on the chronic dietary exposure to lead in the European population. This being an update from the 2012 assessment. A total of 288,239 analytical results on lead were considered for the dietary exposure assessment, with 9,922 corresponding to drinking water and 278,317 to different food types. Samples from Europe were collected between 2013 and 2023 from a total of 23 European countries to estimate the chronic dietary exposure to lead. Find out more here.


EFSA Scientific Committee release statement on the use and interpretation of the margin of exposure (MOE) approach

The EFSA Scientific Committee have released a statement on the use and interpretation of the margin of exposure (MOE) approach. The MOE is a risk assessment tool used to evaluate the safety of substances in food and feed by calculating the ratio between a Reference Point and the estimated exposure. To address inconsistencies in interpretation, EFSA has standardised its terminology and establishes MOE as a primary metric for safety assessments for human and animal health evaluations. Read more here.

 

EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms release a document on the safety assessment of newly expressed proteins in genetically modified plants 

The EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) has released a document on the current practice, challenges and future opportunities in the safety assessment of newly expressed proteins in genetically modified plants. This document outlines a strategy that strengthens the stepwise, weight-evidence approach whilst incorporating new methodologies as alternative or complementary studies. Read more here.


European Commission Updates

The public consultation period is now open between the 4th August to the 10th November 2025. The Biotech Act will propose a series of measures to accelerate the transition of biotech products from laboratory to market whilst maintaining the highest safety standards. Find out more here.

 

Article 4 Novel Food Consultations

There have been six Article 4 novel food consultations published on the EC website in August.


Standing Committee on Plants Animals Food and Feed

The next Standing Committee on Plants Animals Food and Feed (PAFF) for novel foods is scheduled for the 19th September. This agenda is not currently available, however you can find out more information on these meetings here.

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Food Standards Agency

The Food Safety Research Network (FSRN) have been awarded £650,000 by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). This funding will secure the FSRN's work for the next three years, enabling them to deliver more research that contributes to food safety. Read more here.

 

Advisory Committee of Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP)

The 173rd meeting of the ACNFP will take place on 24th-25th September. On the agenda for review will be Urolithin A RP1777 novel food application, CBD RP47 dossier review,Clostridium tyrobutyricum‘Clostridium Protein’ RP1920novel food application, and Lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC)-rich oil from Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) novel food application. Read the full agenda here.

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US FDA

The FDA has updated its list of select chemicals under post-market review, adding BHA, BHT, azodicarbonamide, several synthetic colours, and opiate alkaloids on poppy seeds. The list now includes review initiation dates, recent risk management actions, and public input links. FDA plans to seek stakeholder data on BHA, BHT, and ADA, and is expediting reviews of previously listed chemicals such as phthalates, propylparaben, and titanium dioxide.

 

The FDA will hold a virtual public meeting (Nov 18–20, 2025) on food allergen thresholds and their potential applications. The event will include presentations, panel discussions, and listening sessions to gather stakeholder input on how thresholds could improve food safety, labelling, and consumer choice. Stakeholder feedback will guide FDA’s next steps in developing allergen threshold approaches with public health benefits.

 

The FDA has released its Expanded Decision Tree (EDT), a peer-reviewed toxicity and risk screening tool for food chemicals. The EDT provides a systematic, science-based approach to classify chemicals based on structure and estimated toxicity, offering greater specificity than the original Cramer Decision Tree. It is designed to inform both pre- and post-market evaluations, support prioritisation of chemicals for review, and guide further testing needs. The FDA will gather stakeholder input through listening sessions and refine the tool over time.

 

US GRAS

There has finally been a much-anticipated update to the GRAS notice inventory, with the last update being in March 2025. There are lots of interesting novel foods in this round of updates, including precision-fermentation proteins, microbial biomasses, HiMOs (human milk-identical oligosaccharides), and algal and fungal oils. The GRAS notices include:

 

US CCC

Believer Meats. has received a No Questions letter from the FDA for its cell-cultured chicken. This is the 5th Cell Culture Consultation (CCC) to receive a positive opinion from the FDA, and the third one this year, after Mission Barns's cultivated pork fat (March 2025) and Wildtype's cultivated salmon (June 2025). Believer Meat's cultivated chicken is the also the 3rd cultivated chicken product to receive a No Questions letter from the FDA, after UPSIDE Foods (2022) and GOOD Meat (2023).  Believer Meats's pre-market approval application was submitted to the FDA on May 2024. Before the company can bring its product to market in the U.S., it will need a Grant of Inspection (GOI) from the USDA for its pilot plant, along with label approval. Find out more about this CCC here.


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Australia

The latest update of the Compendium of Microbiological Criteria for Food is now live. This provides guidance for the seafood sector and emerging cell-cultured foods, this aiming to be a practical reference for food businesses and regulators that will be regularly updated. This will support the implementation of Chapter 3 and 4 of the Food Standards Code and enable a consistency in food safety. Read more here.

  

Canada

Japan

  • Japanese Society for Cultured Foods Conference

    • The 1st Japanese Society for Cultured Foods Conference was held on the 29-30th August. This aims to promote academic exchange and social implementation of new food production methods using cell culture technologies. This involved the bringing together of researchers, companies and policy makers in cultured food research and development to discuss challenges, present cutting-edge research and dive into discussions in relation to ethics, systems and society.

  • Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) Update

    • The subcommittee on novel foods under Food Sanitation Council has been convening to discuss guidelines and a regulatory framework form risk management relating to cultivated meat and fish. The groups latest summary report was recently released, you can find out more information here.




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