The company, Technology Crops International, is requesting an opinion from the Agency on the 'equivalence' of their refined edible oil, which is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturates. The oil is extracted from the seeds of the herbaceous plant Buglossoides arvensis.
The basis of this request is that its product is equivalent to the refined oil from Echium plantagineum, marketed by the company Croda Chemicals Europe Ltd.
The European Novel Foods Regulation includes a simplified approval procedure for when a company thinks its novel food is substantially equivalent to a food that is already on the market. In such a situation, the applicant can submit a notification to the European Commission after obtaining an opinion on equivalence from an EU Member State – in this case the UK.