Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the regulatory authorisations required from the Food Standards Agency for conventionally bred crops.

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.