The company, Sporomex Ltd, plans to market sporopollenin shells as a novel food ingredient to be included in this range of foods:

• food supplements
• bakery products
• breakfast cereals
• dairy products and dairy substitutes
• foods for special medical purposes
• foods for use in energy-restricted diets for weight reduction
• foods for particular nutritional uses ('PARNUTs', as defined in Directive 2009/39/EC)

All pollens and spores possess an outer shell, which protects the genetic material and nutrients. The shell is made from a unique polymer, known as sporopollenin, which is composed only of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Sporopollenin shells are produced by emptying spores from the clubmoss Lycopodium clavatum of their genetic, lipid and protein material to leave an empty sporopollenin shell. The applicant’s intention is to fill the empty shell with functional ingredients such as fish oils or vitamin D. The applicant states that sporopollenin shells will therefore function as a novel system to deliver functional ingredients more effectively into the body and mask the unpleasant taste of certain functional ingredients such as fish oils.

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.

Before any new food product can be introduced on the European market it must be rigorously assessed for safety. In the UK, the assessment of novel foods is carried out by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, an independent committee of scientists appointed by the FSA.

The Agency is inviting comments on this application. Any comments on this application should be emailed to the ACNFP Secretariat at ACNFP@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk by Monday 18 February 2013.

The comments recieved will be passed to the Committee during its assessment of this novel food ingredient.

• Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) More about the ACNFP
• Sporopollenin shells Read the application on the ACNFP website