PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Crops: Regulation (22 June 2022)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not generally have a role in authorising conventionally bred crops, unless these have been processed into food or feed and are defined within a ‘regulated products’ category. Where a crop has been grown overseas but has not previously been eaten to a significant degree in the United Kingdom or the European Union, it may need authorisation as a ‘novel food’ before it can be sold in this country. Similarly, if a crop has been eaten for generations in the UK, but is then processed into a significantly different form, it may need authorisation as a novel food. If food businesses are unsure about whether a product needs authorisation as a regulated product, the FSA can provide advice.