Bambara 10 Day Consultation

Annex A

Views wanted on the traditional use and safety of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea) as a novel food by 28th May 2022. 

The Advisory Committee for Novel Food and Processes (ACNFP) have reviewed a notification under the Novel Food Regulation from a company seeking authorisation of their product in the United Kingdom. The ACNFP has completed its assessment of the traditional food, summarized in their summary and is now asking for public comments to finalise its view.  

The application is for Bambara groundnut (also referred to a bean), is a tropical legume crop that grows underground. The product is intended to be used in four forms , dried, roasted, canned and as a flour. The notification relates to a food traditionally consumed in countries outside of the UK but not previously consumed within the UK or Europe.

This notification is seeking authorisation under the traditional food process of the Novel Food Regulation. This process considers if, based on the evidence provided by the applicant, there are safety concerns with the product that require further review before it enters the market. In the UK, assessment is undertaken by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP), an independent committee of scientists appointed by the FSA. Their views are used to inform the position on the notification by the authorities in the countries of the UK. If concerns are raised, a further assessment is undertaken before it is placed on the market.  

Views are requested from members of the public on the ACNFP’s draft summary, particularly on whether there are additional considerations that the Committee should be aware of in finalising their advice to the FSA and FSS. The views from members of the public will further inform the Committee’s consideration of the notification before the ACNFP summary is finalised.  

Further details of this opinion can be found on the ACNFP webpages at the links below. 

Deadline for comments  

Any comments on the draft opinion should be emailed to the ACNFP secretariat at acnfp@food.gov.uk by 28th May 2022. Comments will be passed to the Committee to finalise the assessment and to inform the risk management action taken within the traditional food from third country process. 

All views/comments received by the FSA will be made available for public examination as part of the Committee’s consideration of the application. If you would prefer your comments not to be made publicly available, please indicate this in your response. 

Novel Foods 

A novel food is a food or food ingredient that does not have a significant history of consumption within the European Union before 15 May 1997. Traditional foods consumed in countries outside of the EU are a subset of novel foods. 

More in this section 

Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea) summary. 

Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) 

The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) is a non-statutory, independent body of scientific experts that advises the Food Standards Agency on any matters relating to novel foods (including genetically modified foods) and novel processes (including food irradiation).