Q&A on the novel foods regulation 

 
 

On 29 March the final conciliation meeting on updates to novel foods rules failed after Council rejected a final compromise offer from the European Parliament. This means that the current Novel Foods Regulation, adopted in 1997, will remain in force. This is only the second case in which conciliation talks have not resulted in an agreement (the first was those on the working time directive).

The updates to novel foods rules aimed to ensure that innovation can continue in the food sector without compromising safety and consumer protection. The following questions and answers outline the European Parliament's role and some of the controversial issues at stake.