How do you assess safety and effectiveness of new food ingredients?

1 Regulatory requirements

The first step to assess new food ingredients is to check the regulatory requirements of the markets where you plan to sell your products. Different countries and regions have different rules and standards for approving new food ingredients, and you need to comply with them to avoid legal issues or consumer backlash. For example, in the EU, you need to submit a dossier to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for novel food ingredients, while in the US, you need to consult with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredients.

2 Safety testing

The next step is to conduct safety testing on the new food ingredients, either in-house or through a third-party laboratory. Safety testing involves various experiments and analyses to determine the potential hazards and risks of the new food ingredients, such as toxicity, allergenicity, microbiological contamination, chemical residues, or interactions with other ingredients. Depending on the nature and source of the new food ingredients, you may need to use different methods and protocols, such as animal studies, in vitro tests, or human trials.

3 Effectiveness evaluation

After ensuring the safety of the new food ingredients, you need to evaluate their effectiveness in terms of meeting your objectives and expectations. Effectiveness evaluation involves measuring and comparing the performance and quality of the new food ingredients with the existing or alternative ones, such as their functionality, stability, sensory properties, nutritional value, or environmental impact. You may need to use various techniques and instruments, such as rheology, spectroscopy, chromatography, or sensory analysis, to assess the effectiveness of the new food ingredients.

4 Consumer research

Another important step to assess new food ingredients is to conduct consumer research to understand the preferences, perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of your target market. Consumer research can help you identify the opportunities and challenges of introducing new food ingredients, such as the consumer demand, acceptance, willingness to pay, or potential barriers. You may need to use different methods and tools, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or online platforms, to collect and analyze consumer data.

5 Product development

The final step to assess new food ingredients is to use them in product development and test their suitability and compatibility with your product formulation, processing, packaging, and distribution. Product development can help you optimize the use of the new food ingredients and ensure their functionality and quality throughout the product life cycle. You may need to use various trials and experiments, such as pilot-scale production, shelf-life testing, or scale-up testing, to verify the feasibility and viability of using the new food ingredients.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?