Tomlinson N
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, London, UK.
Food Addit Contam. 1998 Jan;15(1):1-9. doi: 10.1080/02652039809374594.
On 15 May 1997 the EC novel foods Regulation came into effect introducing a statutory pre-market approval system for novel foods across the whole of the European Union. A novel food is defined as a food which has not been consumed to a significant degree and includes foods containing or obtained from genetically modified organisms. The Regulation envisages an initial safety assessment at Member State level, although centralized procedures are available to resolve any objections between Member States. The most controversial aspect of the Regulation relates to the provisions for labelling genetically modified foods. Within the framework of the Regulation there is scope for labelling to be considered on a case by case basis, although the UK is pressing for all foods which may contain genetically modified material to be clearly labelled. To ensure that all Member States follow a consistent approach to the safety assessment of novel foods, the Commission has published a series of guidelines to accompany the regulation. The UK already has a well-developed system for assessing the safety of novel foods dating back to the approval of the first novel food in the UK in 1983.
1997年5月15日，欧共体新型食品法规生效，在整个欧盟范围内引入了针对新型食品的法定上市前审批制度。新型食品被定义为未被大量消费的食品，包括含有或源自转基因生物的食品。该法规设想在成员国层面进行初步安全评估，不过也有集中程序可用于解决成员国之间的任何异议。该法规最具争议的方面涉及转基因食品的标签规定。在该法规框架内，虽有逐案考虑标签的空间，但英国正在施压要求所有可能含有转基因物质的食品都要明确标注。为确保所有成员国对新型食品的安全评估采取一致方法，委员会已发布了一系列与该法规配套的指南。英国早已有一套完善的新型食品安全评估体系，可追溯到1983年英国首个新型食品获批之时。
